How fake agents ruined a Ghanaian football player's life

DW (English)

For young boys across Africa, soccer is more than just a game. It's the dream of a better life. "Football trafficking" involves "agents" offering young football players fake contracts in Europe or Asia, taking them abroad and then often abandoning them. Abdul Gafar was one of those young players.

Transcript

00:00Abdul Ghaffar's life looks very different from what he once imagined.

00:03As a child in Ghana, he dreamed of becoming a professional football player.

00:09Every player in Africa's goal is to come to Europe and play.

00:14But he was abandoned by so-called agents after being taken abroad.

00:18Many young African footballers are moved around with the same dream,

00:22often in exchange for thousands of euros.

00:25These agents hope to cash in on the dreams of young boys

00:27who see football as a chance at a better life.

00:31There's so much corruption in the system.

00:33They come with sweet mud.

00:35And you know, footballers, you are suffering in Africa.

00:37You don't have good things in Africa.

00:39If an agent comes and says,

00:41OK, this is the situation, I'm taking you to Europe, you do.

00:45His agent had his player pass,

00:47meaning he owned him and controlled his moves in football.

00:50For his first move, he was given a fake invitation to a club in Tanzania.

00:55He took two of us.

00:57One striker and one midfeder got arrested for something we didn't even know.

01:03It's like child trafficking, you know.

01:05His agent then secured a transit visa and fake papers,

01:08allowing him six months at a second division club in Ethiopia.

01:12Later, he learned the visa wasn't valid.

01:14And since he was there illegally, he had to pay a hefty fine.

01:17I had to stay there four years to be able to pay all this money before I left.

01:25Abdul Ghaffar's agent was arrested, but he stayed silent because he still needed his help.

01:31I protected him.

01:32I'm like, he didn't know.

01:34So this, that's why things like this happen.

01:37A new agent proposed an opportunity with a club in Ukraine,

01:41and Abdul Ghaffar jumped at the chance to move to Europe.

01:44It's funny, because I thought I was going to play direct contract.

01:49But instead of playing and getting paid by the club,

01:52he was asked to pay for the cost of his room and board.

01:55I didn't earn anything.

01:57It's either you go back or you play for three,

01:59then you get some videos, you get some connections, Europe, then you can move.

02:04He was able to come to Berlin, Germany, through a personal connection.

02:07He hoped to find a professional club, but it was much harder than he expected.

02:12Now he has a job, a family, and plays on Sundays with other Africans,

02:16many of whom share similar experiences in football.

02:19I found out that it's not easy in Germany when you are not from here.

02:26They are like, hey, you're good, but it will be difficult because you are black.

02:31Now I'm working, I'm a painter, and at the same time,

02:35I'm working with kids, teaching, because I've passed through a lot.

02:38It's really, really important for the young ones to know that it's not just,

02:43as they see, it has side stories as well.

02:46A hard-learned lesson he hopes other young aspiring football players in Africa will learn from.

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