The inclusion marks the end of a successful month for Mission 89, following fruitful round table discussions in conjunction with Istanbul Bilgi University and SOAS University of London.

The “Human Trafficking of Athletes” section of the document (p.26-27) outlines the mechanisms through which athletes are misled, as well as the dangers faced by victims worldwide. Trafficking in European football is given particular focus through a case study of FIFA’s player recruitment regulation, and most importantly, the segment concludes with a lengthy discussion of the meaningful changes that need to be made to address the issue. Suggestions include greater due diligence on agents, increased coordination between governmental youth services and sports services, and nationwide public awareness initiatives.

Lerina Bright, Executive Director of Mission 89 welcomes the greater exposure of trafficking in sport, saying “We at Mission 89 are continually advocating for this issue to receive greater public attention, and it is encouraging that the US State Department’s Report has acknowledged the dangers facing vulnerable athletes worldwide due to the prevalence of trafficking.”

The US State Department Trafficking in Persons Report 2020 is the “world’s most comprehensive resource of governmental anti-trafficking efforts”, and can be found here.

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On June 9th, Mission ‘89 and Istanbul Bilgi University, jointly hosted a virtual round table that discussed “the impact of the coronavirus pandemic and restrictions imposed on the lives of migrant footballers in Istanbul”. The round table, co-moderated by Mission ‘89 Board Member, Yann Coelenbier and Faculty Member of the Sport Management Department at the Istanbul Bilgi University, Dr. Ilknur Hacisoftaoglu, invited experts from the fields of journalism, academia and city management to collectively address the difficulties faced by migrant athletes and victims of football trafficking in Istanbul, while encouraging cooperation and action at the institutional level.

Mr. Coelenbier outlined the importance of understanding the perspectives of both athletes and relevant stakeholder institutions, while encouraging a climate of cooperation and collective action, noting that “there is no one road to migration in sports. Every athlete has different motivations – but most importantly, they want to contribute and build a better future”.

In exploring the lived experiences of Istanbul’s migrant footballers, Dr. Hacisoftaoglu, who has been studying the topic for the past year, was clear in her assessment that “we have a problem in sports, particularly in football; the scale of the industry has made it a common destination for migrant footballers around the world”.

Head of the African Community in Turkey, Julius Kugor, pointed to lack of job prospects, as well as recent regulations in the lower levels of Turkey’s football pyramid as particularly troubling developments for migrant footballers. “Two years ago the Turkish Football Federation ruled that foreigners cannot play in the 4th and 5th division, so it has become very tough for migrant players”, he said.

Bagis Erten, Journalist & Production Manager at Eurosport, was less optimistic in his outlook for migrant football players in the wake of COVID-19, pointing out that uncertain financial health in the lower divisions is likely to make the protection of migrant athletes a low priority. He was of the view that “the only hope for migrant athletes must come from civic society, as the football industry’s agenda will be too loaded to consider anything else”.

At the institutional level, however, there appears to be enthusiasm for action. According to Coordinator of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality’s Migration Unit, Simten Birsoz, they have expanded basic protection services to migrants in the city (providing nearly

8000 support packages thus far), while they continue to assess their action plan, which involves “creating harmonization opportunities between migrants and host communities and making municipal activities inclusive to migrants, including recreational sports funding”.

There was acknowledgment that those at the top of the Turkish football pyramid also have their part to play, through lobbying and public awareness campaigns. “Galatasaray are not part of the problem, but we can be part of the solution”, stated Istanbul Bilgi University Professor and Galatasary S.K. Board Member Emre Erdogan.

Mission89 Board Member Yann Coelenbier, ended the round table by emphasizing the power of cooperative discussions in tackling societal problems facing migrant athletes. “Cooperation is to create empowerment. We have clubs with resources, we have municipalities with the capacity to integrate and recognize, and we have athletes who wish to take action,” he concluded.

Media Contact:

Media@mission89.org

gizem.kulekcioglu@bilgi.edu.tr

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The complete reform package is a product of an extensive consultation process with many relevant stakeholders, and includes the six following measures:

1. Establishment of a cap on commissions to avoid excessive and abusive practices;
2. Limitation of multiple representation to avoid conflicts of interest;
3. Reintroduction of a mandatory licensing system for agents to raise professional standards;
4. Creation of a FIFA Clearing House to guarantee better financial transparency;
5. Establishment of an effective FIFA dispute resolution system to address disputes between agents, players and clubs;
6. Disclosing and publishing all agent-related work in transfers, to increase transparency, improve the credibility of the transfer system and support the implementation of new regulations.

Mission 89 welcomes the new regulations as they aim to improve the professional standards of agents and protect the wellbeing and rights of the minors involved in football. These regulations are not specifically designed to prevent the trafficking of children in and through football, rather they attempt to bolster the transparency of transactions and prevent fraud and money laundering in football. However, it is through the reintroduction of the mandatory agents’ licensing system that these measures also provide a useful tool for holding agents accountable for potential abuse of minors in their care. This not only speaks to the issue trafficking in football but also provides the international community an important opportunity to propose complimentary measures to expand protections for the youth.

To this end, Mission 89 believes that the following complimentary educational and technological measures could potentially create an even more robust regulatory system that addresses and tackles child trafficking in football:

1. Establishment of a mechanism that also hold clubs accountable for transactions involving agents and minors to ensure that all parties prioritise the interest and safety of the child;
2. An Evidence-based Special Safeguarding and Child Protection Education for Clubs, Players and Parents on how to deal with agents;
3. Include modules in FIFA’s new regulation of football agents’ 2020 curriculum to educate coaches and technical staff about safeguarding and child protection issues, and to certify their training;
4. Establishment of accountability mechanism that make agents and clubs more accountable for players aged 18 years and/or under, who fail their trials at clubs;
5. Granting better access to information for professional and amateur players with the use of easily accessible technology (apps or websites);
6. Organise and/or support promotional activities during large events that inform on human trafficking and the risk of exploitation by fake agents at grassroots/recreational level; and
7. Development of a harmonized FIFA dual-career program that empowers players (amateur and professional) with capacities that will serve them beyond the Game, thereby minimising the opportunity for exploitation.

Written by: Faisal Paktian

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