Matthew, who has served as an advisor to Mission 89 since 2018, now joins Ode Fulutudilu as the second sports figure to represent the organization as an Ambassador.

Once a victim of trafficking himself, Matthew has been a vital figure for Mission 89 in tackling child trafficking in and around sport. His inspiring story has raised awareness about the severity of trafficking of young athletes around the world. Currently, Matthew is the CEO of GEAP-F Media Ltd., operating ELEGBETE TV & RADIO on YouTube to tell stories of local coaches and players who are treated as superstars at home, even before they go abroad.

As Mission 89 Ambassador, Matthew will serve as a delegate of the organization by using his name, voice, and platform to reach young players vulnerable to trafficking, to raise awareness, and to fight against human trafficking in and around sport.

QUOTES

“We are so happy to officially announce Edafe Matthew Eseoghene as our ambassador. Matthew has been Mission 89’s companion since its establishment and has played an indispensable part in telling the reality of trafficking in sport to our associates and audiences. He is yet another shining personality we all look up towards, and together we can take another big step to mitigate the exploitation of young athletes.”

Lerina Bright – Executive Director, Mission 89

“It is an honour to be picked as an ambassador for such a brand that is committed to fighting a good fight. As someone who’s been a victim before, this has a personal touch for me.”

Edafe Matthew Eseoghene – CEO, GEAP-F Media Limited

QUICK FACTS

• At the age of 20, Matthew was a victim of trafficking in football and after being abandoned by an illegitimate football agent in Cape Verde for 11 months without a contract or any financial support.
• Since 2007, Matthew had worked as a sport analyst and journalist for Al Jazeera, HiTV and Brila FM.
• In 2014, Matthew was a commentator at the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
• In 2017, Matthew started his own media company called GEAP-F Media Ltd., owners of ELEGBETE TV & RADIO on YouTube.

Mission 89 Ambassador Programme

The Mission 89 Ambassador Programme is a social influencing and community outreach initiative that uses the positive values of sport to raise awareness of human trafficking within the context of sport. The Ambassador role is assigned to high-profile personalities who have been thoroughly appraised and selected by the organization.

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In 2009, Michael Afolabi Sodeke became a player’s agent and since then he has been involved in sports promotion and development from grassroots to the professional level. In 2018, he played a leading role in repatriating 10 football trafficking victims who were scammed and left stranded in Cape Verde by a fake agent with the promise of a trial in Europe.

He is the C. E. O of Anfield-Lane Integrated Services, which includes Anfield-Lane Soccer School and Anfield-Lane Sports Promotion. Michael founded Football Intermediaries Association of Nigeria (FIAN), an association responsible for unifying all registered intermediaries in Nigeria. FIAN has recorded some major achievement under his leadership, highlights of which include affiliation with the European Football Agent Association (EFAA) and a campaign against human trafficking through football.

We had a chat with him on his role as a football agent and his thoughts on human trafficking in the name of sports.

Questions:

1. Why did you decide to become a football agent?
2. What do you like most and least about being an agent?
3. In your opinion what are the three characteristics of a good agent?
4. What are three things that young players and their parents should be aware of before signing a contract with an agent or agency?
5. It has been reported that up to 15,000 young footballers are trafficked out of West Africa annually (Poli, 2010) on false pretenses to play professionally in Europe. What do you make of this?
6. Do football agents have a role to play in safeguarding young players from exploitation?
7. What do you make of the new agents’ regulations set by FIFA? What would you like to see changing?
8. What education could be useful to agents to do their work even better?
9. Which aspect of your work as a football agent makes you the proudest?

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Ellen Chiwenga has been working in the world of football for more than 15 years, learning step by step all the aspects of the game, from grassroots football development to global business development and transfers. She is a FIFA Football Match Agent, as well as a member of the Association of Football Agents (AFA), the International Association of FIFA Licensed Football Match Agents (FIFMA), and Women in Football (WIF) from Zimbabwe.

Driven to create change in a male-dominated industry with the ambition to promote diversity and equality in the game, she is the only female Football Match Agent in England and the only female African Football Match Agent in the world. As part of her duties, Ellen legally represents athletes by checking their contracts and negotiating their employment. She is responsible for communication between the managers and individuals she represents to ensure that both sides are satisfied and also arranges international matches among teams belonging to different Confederations, such as friendly matches and tournaments between national teams or clubs.

Her work has been recognized with several awards. She was named Personality of the Year at the 2017 Zimbabwe Achievers Awards and the African Woman of the Year in Football in 2018. That same year, she became an Ambassador of FC Karachi in Pakistan. In August 2019, Ellen Chiwenga was appointed Global Goodwill Ambassador of Bring Hope Humanitarian Foundation (BHHF), a charity organisation that delivers humanitarian aid and medicines to internal displaced people, refugees, and people in need around the world. In November 2019, Ellen received the prestigious Football Black List Award for her outstanding work in football. She is a member of the ‘Right to Play’ Partnerships Committee and in January 2020 was awarded the Medal of Knight of the Order of Lafayette. In May 2020, Ellen became advisor at FIFA Ethics and Regulations Watch (FERW). Earlier this year, Ellen Chiwenga announced her intention to run for the Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) presidency in the 2022 election.

We had a chat with her on her role as a football agent.

Why did you decide to become a football agent?

I grew up in Zimbabwe hearing about football all the time as my two uncles were working with clubs and the football association. Above all, I love football because of its power to inspire and drive change in the lives of boys and girls. When I moved to the UK, my own experience taught me how difficult it can be for a young person to adapt to a new environment, sometimes in a totally different country. This is how why I decided to become an agent. I like to take care of players because I know that my daily work has an impact on their wellbeing. By helping them adapt and feel well in the club and mentally, I make sure that they deliver great performances on the pitch. Football is the science of people and I like these interactions, not just with the player but with the clubs’ staff, other agents, the community and the fans.

Which aspect of your work as a football agent makes you the proudest?

Managing a player is like being a mother taking care of her child. I like to see them grow as individuals, and flourish as players. There is often a lot of expectations from the fans and media, as well as large sums involved in transfers at a young age. It is not always easy for players to resist the pressure and make sense of all this. There are countless stories of great talents who never fulfill their potential. Therefore, it is a source of pride to see one of your players developing into a nice, confident and respectful individual with good values that will guide them for a lifetime. Also, to see young boys and girls make their dreams come true as professional players after years of hard work, commitment and sacrifice fills me with tremendous joy for them and their family.

What are some of the misconceptions about football agents?

One of the biggest misconceptions in the public and media is that football agents exploit the system and make a lot of money on transfers. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Agents are a key part of the football ecosystem. They are ambassadors who detect talents, promote and advise players, facilitate discussions with clubs, and help them find the best opportunities. People take a partial view based on the very few top agents who negotiate the transfers of world-class players. They merely represent the top of the iceberg and reality is that many agents struggle to make a decent living with players in lower divisions and smaller clubs. Also, there is no magic formula to be certain that a young talented player will sign a professional contract in the future. This is a risk that the agent has to take. What many people also forget is that an agent doesn’t just come and go after taking a commission on transfers. An agent continues to take care of his/her player after the transfer, and this is a 24/7 job.

What advantages does a female agent have in an industry that is dominated by men?

Speaking about my own experience, I would say that a woman football agent takes a different perspective, more long-term and comprehensive than men. While most men would focus in details on the qualities of a player – statistics, technical skills, strength, speed, stamina, etc. – I like to engage with the player and discuss topics such as which position he prefers, the system he feels more comfortable with, or what type of coach he likes. Regarding potential transfers, we discuss elements like the city, the region, the teammates, and if he thinks he would fit into the culture of the club. I know that the living and working environment is very important for the development of a player, for him to strive in his new club, so we take the time to address all these topics. A man might not take the same approach.

In your opinion, do you think that the majority of agents are aware of the issue of human trafficking in football? If yes, then why do you think human trafficking continues in football? If no, why not? What could be done to improve awareness among agents?

We have all heard the sad stories of human trafficking in football and how so-called ‘agents’ are taking advantage of impoverished families and children in developing countries by luring them with false promises of lucrative careers abroad. However, most agents working with professional clubs in the top leagues of Western countries only see the faces of the young players who have signed or are about to sign their first professional contract. The problem of human trafficking in football has to be tackled directly at the source, in countries where poverty leads many families to believe the narrative of corrupted individuals. It is worth noting that those individuals are not ‘agents’, since official agents are required to be registered by their Football Association (FA) and go through police check if working with minors. Therefore, it is the role of governments, municipalities, Ministries of Sports, and Football Associations in developing countries to lead the charge against human trafficking in football by educating local populations about this danger. FIFA also has a large role to play by initiating an international campaign on the subject, and by making sure that part of the funds it sends to the FAs of poor countries is used to fight against this global issue.

What role can football agents play in preventing the trafficking of young footballers?

Whenever they travel to less developed countries and poorer areas of the world in order to scout potential players for clubs, agents should take the opportunity to speak with local club managers, football academies staff, and football authorities about this important subject. They should also raise this matter with coaches and make sure that their message is relayed to the kids, and even better, their parents. Together with their FAs, football agents could work to produce information leaflets and stickers that could be distributed to the relevant populations at home and during their trips. Education and knowledge are the first powerful barrier to eradicate trafficking.

Are there any special considerations for female football players who sign with agents? Are any specific measures taken to safeguard them from exploitation?

Females are more vulnerable, and with the growth of the women’s football across the globe – which is a great improvement – it will also become more dangerous. Unscrupulous individuals will try to take advantage of the situation by luring young girls with tales of riches with a football club in Europe, the US or China. The first line of defense is the family. With more girls around the world attracted by the passion of football, it is important for the parents and family to acknowledge it and support them in their journey. Taking interest, asking questions, attending training and watching games is the surest way to understand who is evolving around your daughter and take action to prevent any kind of exploitation before it happens.

What do you make of the new agents’ regulations set by FIFA? What would you like to see changing?

I strongly welcome the decision of FIFA to reintroduce the mandatory licensing system for agents. Having had literally anyone being able to act as agent for players did nothing good for the game, and makes me wonder why it was abandoned in the first place. This will raise professional standards, and bring more transparency with the creation of a FIFA Clearing House. Regarding the more sensitive issue of a cap on commissions, I believe that the market is always better regulated by itself. Temptations to distort, in any sector, the natural equilibrium of the market always create unintended externalities and incentives for some actors to get around the legislation, which is exactly what everyone wants to avoid. But overall, the return of the licensing system represents a great opportunity to inform and educate agents about the issue of human trafficking and the risk of exploitation by fake agents at grassroots level.

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The “Black Diamonds” project began in 2010 when Andrew travelled to Istanbul in Turkey and met aspiring footballers from Nigeria who has been promised trials with some of Turkey’s top teams. Andrew’s work has been published in Time, the Financial Times, the New Yorker, and the British Journal of Photography, among others.

“Black Diamonds” revealed the reality of life for African players who travelled to Turkey believing they would attend trials with famous teams like Galatasaray, Besiktas, or Fenerbahce. The truth was very different.

Read part one of the interview – Abandoned and alone: Photographer Jason Andrew reveals the lives of scammed African football players in Istanbul – by clicking here.

In part two of this interview, Jason Andrew talks about the resilience of players from Africa and how many look to the future to forget about the past.

From ‘Black Diamonds’ by Jason Andrew

It’s easy to think all the players have the same story. Can you tell us some more about them as individuals?

They all came over from Nigeria with different stories but they don’t tell anybody much about their life before. For Hakim, his passport said he was 19 years old. He has two brothers and his mother in Lagos. One of the guys said he was 16 when he came in and was put in an orphanage because he was underage. Another’s passport said he was 26 when he was actually 42. He had played professionally for 10 years in Nigeria. He had better ball skills than anyone but was a drunk. He was constantly drinking and it was the same thing when he went back to Nigeria. They really don’t want to remember where they were seven years ago, they just want to focus on where they are now.

So, where are they now and what do you think their future looks like?

In some respect, they are now economic migrants who have come to provide for their families. They are now stuck in Turkey and there is really nowhere for them to go. They aren’t going to go to Europe [as footballers]. The reality is unless they marry a European woman; or go to South East Asia; or the Middle East, they are where they are. They are going to end up in Nigeria after ten years probably.

From ‘Black Diamonds’ by Jason Andrew

What did you personally learn from the project?

Resilience. I called the project “Black Diamonds” because a black diamond is the toughest from of a diamond. These guys appeared to me as the toughest human beings I have ever encountered. They were the epitome of the work ethic my grandfather tried to instil in me as a man; the honesty and resilience where one keeps hitting the pavement over and over.

As an observer, what was a challenge for you to see?

I watched them get scammed by every one of their friends. Each one of them turned on each other the moment they could. It was depressing to see that, to see that the people they lived with and trusted did the same things that people they didn’t know did to them. It was always to get a little bit of money.

Did you find the subject inspiring or depressing?

It’s complicated. It isn’t black and white and the issue has many layers to it. Trying to dissect each of those layers is very difficult. If I talk to friends in Nigeria, they would tell me that these guys are a success and they would spend the same amount of money to go if they had the chance. If you look at the guys’ social media pages, they look very successful. But if you talk to them, they are not. Their living situations haven’t changed much from seven years ago. The apartment may be bigger and they may have a little bit of money but in essence, they are still the same guys.

As a photographer, what do you find interesting about projects like Black Diamonds?

The boys reminded me of my friends from when I was growing up and playing sports. It was about family and team and there was just a grind about these guys. There was innocence early on, humility, desperation, desire, and this look in their eyes that they were just going to do anything to make it happen. I watched that desperation turn to greed and envy and desire then I saw it go back again to humility. I think it was to do with age. I was so impressed by them and how much they dealt with that I enjoyed spending time with them and understand what they went through. All of these sacrifices they had to make resonated with me because of how much they had to deal with.

I’ve always been impressed by the African resilience and, with these boys, nothing was ever impossible; there was always a way around it. I spent two years travelling to Nigeria for work and kept up with these guys and it was nice to understand who they were and better understand their families and what drove them. It gave me more respect for them and their struggle.

From ‘Black Diamonds’ by Jason Andrew

What other projects are you working on?

I did some with a Somali-based football team that was playing in the CONIFA football tournament in Abkhazia. I then had a daughter and she took up most of my time. Since then, I have been working on a story following young women struggling with addiction in the USA. It’s been really interesting because their resilience to keep themselves and their children clean and do better for their lives has a lot of similarities with the guys in Turkey. While the women deal with addiction, the guys in Turkey were dealing with racism and bigotry. These young women are trying to get rid of the ‘addict’ stereotype and live a different life. I’ve been really interested in the resilience of human beings.

I’m going to start looking into a group of West Africans in Poland. There’s a group of a little over 100 who fell for the same scam. They are in the same predicament, trying to make it in football playing in the lowest leagues. In Nigeria, they could play professionally if they bribed somebody to get on those teams. Europe is always going to be the chance for many footballers.

To see what life is like for Nigerian players abandoned in Turkey and for more images from Jason Andrew’s Black Diamonds project click here.

Interview: Mwende Maureen for Mission 89

The post “The toughest human beings I have encountered”: Photographer Jason Andrew and the Black Diamonds project (part two) appeared first on Mission89.

In the south of Kansas City on a corner of 43rd Avenue there is an Italian restaurant called Cupini’s. Eddie Cupini and his father, Franco, have dedicated nearly 15 years to serving the best pasta in town – “Just like my mom used to make,” says Franco – and earning a few awards along the way. But soon they will be leaving behind the restaurant and the life they have built in America.

Eddie’s 10-year-old son, Alessandro, has signed up to Roma’s esteemed academy. Alessandro is something of a social media sensation with more than 40,000 followers on Instagram and a dedicated YouTube channel showcasing his prodigious talent, all managed by his father. He even has a nickname: The Wolf. “A lion and a tiger are mean but you can’t take a wolf to the circus,” Eddie explains.

Read the full story by clicking here.

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