The pretense of a professional career in sport is being used by unscrupulous individuals and fake agents to recruit young men and women into an underworld of illegal migration and crime, resulting in serious breaches of human rights.

The illustrious human rights advocate and lawyer Maud de Boer-Buquicchio, currently serving as the United Nations’ Special Rapporteur on the Sale and Sexual Exploitation of Children, has been relentless in her fight against the discrimination and violence of the most vulnerable groups, and has over the years been active in promoting children’s rights.

In her recent report, prepared pursuant to Human Rights Council Resolutions 7/13 and 34/16, the Special Rapporteur included a thematic study on the sale and sexual exploitation of children in the context of sports.

We caught up with her to talk about the role of the Special Rapporteur, actions that can be taken to combat trafficking in sports, and the opportunities and threats facing the flourishing women’s football.

1. Few people outside the United Nations system are familiar with the role of the “Special Rapporteur on the sale and sexual exploitation of children” Could you please tell us what this entails, and how one becomes a “Special Rapporteur”?

The role of the UNSR is to assist States in putting an end to these heinous crimes by identifying new patterns of abuse and exploitation and making recommendations on strategies and measures on prevention, accountability of criminals and aspects relating to the rehabilitation and recovery of victims. Country visits, thematic studies and communicating concerns to Governments about concrete cases are amongst the primary working tools.

The target audience is not only Governments, but also the private sector, and society at large, all of whom can be game changers. As mandate holder, I want to ensure that children are actively involved and participate in the design and monitoring of protection strategies and that their views are taken into account.

Becoming a SR is in the first place a question of choice, of passion and the belief that contributing to increased awareness of the prevalence of these scourges and how it should be eradicated can make a difference in the lives of millions of children. UN SR’s are independent experts, not part of the UN hierarchy, are unremunerated and therefore entirely independent in their judgment and actions.

Decisions to appoint SR’s are taken by the Human Rights Council of the UN, on the basis of demonstrated knowledge and commitment. The Mandate of a UNSR is 3 years, renewable only once. I was appointed in 2014, so I will end my mandate next year.

2. You have worked many years in the field of human rights and have been a strong advocate for the wellbeing of children and the protection of their rights. What would you consider to be the highlight of your career so far?

The first was when as a lawyer I was working on cases in the European Court of Human Rights. I dealt with a case of a child victim of sexual abuse, who under national law was powerless to ensure the conviction of her rapist, moreover a member of her family. Thanks to the development of the concept of “positive obligations”, to which I contributed, the State could no longer hide behind existing legislation and needed to be pro-active to ensure the criminal’s accountability by changing the legislation!

The second was as Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe when the Council of Europe’s Convention on the protection of children and Sexual abuse was adopted and opened for signature in Lanzarote in 2007. I had worked so hard to make this happen, together with an incredibly committed team, and seeing Governments put their signature under these far reaching and promising safeguards was a real highlight.

But highlights in this area are not necessarily only positive experiences. Some encounters are indelible in my memory. As UN SR I met disabled children in institutions, tied to their beds for lack of trained staff, a young migrant football player stuck in a legal and factual limbo, a child victim of sexual violence whose personality appeared to be shattered forever.

3. As Special Rapporteur you are mandated to report on a specific topic. What made you decide to focus your research on the subject of, “Protecting children from sale and sexual exploitation in the context of sports”?

Again in my career as a lawyer working for the European Court of Human Rights, I had dealt with a case denouncing the transfer mechanism of young football players as amounting to a form of slavery. Also, I am aware that sexual abuse occurs in every setting, and that sports clubs are no exceptions. Because of the power imbalance between coaches and young athletes the latter are particularly vulnerable. I felt it was important to explore more in depth the root factors and to help all concerned actors to develop responses and prevention mechanisms to deal with these human rights violations.

Egyptian children play soccer on a dusty field in Cairo, Egypt January 8, 2019. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh – RC117767B380

4. In recent years the world has come to learn of the level of sexual, emotional and physical abuse elite athletes face during their careers, but the illegal movement of children in pursuit of a career in sport is a neglected issue, despite “the State duty to protect human rights; the corporate responsibility to respect human rights,” as quoted from comma 28 of your report. Why do you think it hasn’t yet been given any similar attention so far?

Traditionally, human rights violations are the ones for which States can be held directly accountable. Corporate social responsibility in this context is relatively new. It has been developed in the UN through the adoption of Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, calling on the private sector to adopt additional analogous standards where their activity could adversely impact certain groups of persons. Excessive reliance on the concept of autonomy and specificity has sometimes blurred this responsibility in the sports sector.

5. In carrying out your research, what information most surprised or challenged your understanding of the trafficking in sport phenomenon?

As often in this area of child abuse and exploitation, the very large sums of money involved, that provide a source of profit to those who sell or traffic children, make counter measures challenging.

In the world of football 17.6 % of international transfers of children are made through intermediaries. The system of third party ownership totally commodifies the players, who have no power over their own fate.

6. The FIFA Women’s World Cup just ended in France, what opportunities on one hand and threats on the other can we anticipate with the growing women’s game?

It was a great opportunity to witness top level sportswomen show their talents and perseverance.  It was an opportunity to do away with society’s bias and prejudice against women in the world of football which is still predominantly male and macho. Gender discrimination is still omnipresent in sports institutions especially at governance level. That includes the referees. Of course gender discrimination is still pervasive in society, and those who do not want to acknowledge the power of women and even their role in sports will continue to be there. But I bet you, there were many men in the galleries who can be multipliers in the advancement of the cause of women. Sport has no gender!

7. Following the release of your report do you envisage the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to develop any actions with the aim of raising awareness of, and preventing human trafficking in sports?

The OHCHR has a general work stream on trafficking and has increased its focus on human rights and sports through for example its involvement in the Centre for Sports and Human Rights.

8. As can be read in your report, with reference to the sale and sexual exploitation of children in the context of sport, you “look forward to be able to organize further consultations on this important subject.” Which national and international institutions and organizations – even non-governmental – do you think should collaborate and join forces in order to tackle the issue of human trafficking in sports?

Obviously, this is an area which all sports institutions should take very seriously. I hope to continue to work with major international Federations such as UEFA and FIFA but also in other sports’ sectors.  The other important stakeholder is the IOC, as I want to ensure that respecting and protecting the Rights of the Child are integral part of the bidding process for future host cities.

I will continue to join forces with the recently created Center for Sports and Human Rights, under the inspiring leadership of Mary Healy, whose mission includes the human rights of child athletes. We will make sure that children are unbeatable!

This article is part of a series of interviews conducted by Mission89 on child trafficking in football with key sports administrators, personalities, academics and educators.

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The World Game’s story highlights Mission 89 and the organization’s effort to bring together stakeholders and push grassroots education programs on legitimate pathways to a career in professional sport.

“The exploitation of children is a grave violation of human rights,” Mission 89 spokesperson Matthew Hall told The World  Game.

“Fake football agents using fake promises to recruit young men into an underworld of illegal immigration and crime is a concern for all of us. Football should not be a platform to exploit vulnerable people.

“Mission 89 is not interested in a blame game. Instead, we want to help individuals and organisations with the authority, resources and power to address this issue head on. We want to stamp this out.

“Trafficking in football is a complex issue but the professional players across Europe have the power to make a big difference.”

Professional players have been identified as potentially playing a leading role in grassroots education programs across Africa. The story also highlights September’s meeting in Brussels that saw child trafficking in sport placed on the European Union’s political agenda.

Click here to read the story ‘Mission launched to stamp out African ‘slave trade’ in full.

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The Mirror quoted FIFA’s former head of security, ex-Interpol agent Chris Eaton, who said: “There are thousands of African ­children and youths tricked and even trafficked to European countries.

“They are all being attracted by the Premier League. English clubs have launched campaigns to stop this sort of crime, but it has not been matched by the Confederation of African Football or FIFA.

“They are failing in their moral duty. They talk about the dream, but so often the dream turns into a nightmare.”

The report referred to an investigation into a Paris-based passport forger whose fake documents were found on a player who moved from Mali to France,  who  was promised trials at one of Europe’s top clubs.

The young player was trafficked overland to Paris by Lebanese smugglers where he discovered the promise was a scam and was left unable to pay for a trip back home. Investigators who picked him up found jewellery and mobile phones on him, suggesting he had been forced into slavery for a criminal network.

Mission 89’s Matthew Hall is quoted in the report:  “This is football’s dirty little secret.”

“It’s as simple as a man turning up in an African village wearing a white linen suit and promising a professional career.

“Quite often it never materialises and these people are left abandoned.”

Read the full Sunday Mirror report by clicking here.

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Garré joined City from Vélez Sarsfield just after his 16th birthday in 2016. Fifa dismissed an initial complaint from Vélez regarding the move and claimed the Manchester club broke transfer regulations by signing him when he turned 16.

FIFA ruled Garré’s Italian passport meant he was free to join Citty but Velez took their case to Cas, arguing Fifa had broken their own rules. CAS dismissed the appeal and cleared City of breaking any rules.

The complicated story is highlighted by James Esson of Loughborough University and Eleanor Drywood from the University of Liverpool in their paper “Challenging popular representations of child trafficking in football”.

Esson and Drywood take a deep dive into how football and “trafficking” are entwined and explore how much current thinking about the issue makes finding realistic solutions challenging.

“In some cases, after handing over money to some individual/individuals, the player does indeed obtain a contract or trial with a club, albeit of an exploitative nature,” they write. “This is what is known as ‘human trafficking in football’. However, in most cases, the alleged interest from a foreign club is bogus, and the individual(s) abandon the player upon arrival in a destination country. This is known as ‘human trafficking through football’.

“Human trafficking in football and human trafficking through football are often conflated under the term ‘football trafficking’. It is important to note that while cases of human trafficking in football comply with understandings of human trafficking as outlined in the UN Protocol on human trafficking there are some who question whether this applies to cases of human trafficking through football. This is because of uncertainty as to whether exploitation has actually occurred if the player is abandoned upon arrival. In other words, is this a case of fraud rather than human trafficking?”

You can read the paper, “Challenging Popular Representations of Child Trafficking in Football”, published in the Journal of Criminological Research, Policy and Practice, 4(1), pp. 60-72. in full by clicking this link.

Esson and Drywood argue that football and children’s rights need to be looked at in their  local and cultural context and that “until the debate around the children’s rights implications of a career in football becomes more developed, our thinking around solutions to the trafficking practices which provide the backdrop to success stories will remain stilted.”

There is a “need for all actors in and around football trafficking to collaborate on solutions,” they argue.  

The post “Never have I experienced such an immoral act”: Challenging popular representations of child trafficking in football appeared first on Mission89.

We  reproduce the story here but you can buy a copy of the magazine by clicking the link at the bottom of this post.

The stories follow a familiar pattern. A group of talented young footballers are invited to join a team with a promise of travel from Africa to Europe. There, they will play in trial matches that will lead to professional contracts. For this life changing opportunity the player must pay the coach or agent or scout (the recruiter is often the only variable in this equation) around $5000, sometimes more. It’s a significant sum – but with a professional deal in Europe at the other end? Who wouldn’t get on board?

Except it is all a scam. When the players arrive in Europe, there are no scouts from professional teams waiting to watch and there are no trials to lead to a contract.There is also no hotel when the coach or agent disappears with all the money, leaving his players with abandoned and alone far, far, from home.

Stories like this have been told by Matthew Edafe, a Nigerian player whose experience was laid out in WSC 339 [“Exploitation Game”] – abandoned before his team even made it to Spain and dumped in Cape Verde where he was stuck for a year before he finally found his way home – and documented by American photographer Jason Andrew who spent time with Nigerians in Turkey marooned in a rogue recruitment scheme.

Hakim, a player befriended by Andrew, was stranded in Istanbul. Luckily, he found a community of west Africans in similar situations which opened a door to some form of survival. By night, the group played pick-up games in parks. During the day tried to find work – any work they could do without necessary documentation.  

“Their choice was to either stay [undocumented] or go back home and tell their families who had they borrowed all the money from that it was a scam and nothing had happened,” explains Andrew. “Some went back home but most stayed. Turkey certainly wasn’t where they wanted to be.”

According to Lerina Bright, founder of Mission 89, the trafficking of players from Africa to Europe – and often Asia as well – is football’s dirty secret. Its existence is widely known but little discussed and less understood. The movement of young players from Africa by rogue coaches and agents – often piggybacking on academies of varying legitimacy – is at worst trafficking and at best a form of exploitation that preys on economic and social vulnerability.

“I found it incredible that the issue of child trafficking hadn’t been given more consideration by the powers that be given how widespread this activity is and how long it’s been going on for,”  says Bright, who has previously worked in football administration around the world. “Everybody in the game knows on some level about the illegal movement of players from Africa to Europe.”

Mission 89 was founded in 2017 with its “mission” based on the 1989 United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, a document that aims to “combat the illicit transfer and non-return of children abroad”. Mission 89 also flags enforcement of FIFA’s Article 19 that states the international transfer of players is only permitted if the player is over the age of 18 (with some caveats).

But there are rules and guidelines and then there is a challenging reality – especially when ambition, aspiration, globalism, and money are involved. Still, Mission 89 is coordinating and developing research projects into the issue and collaborating with leading universities around the world to deliver a better understanding of the issue. It is also running advocacy and awareness programs that include educational apps for kids in Africa and has engaged with the African Union to establish a program that will ultimately result in a continent-wide regulations for academies.

Run by an all-volunteer staff located around the world – Europe, Africa, Australia, and the United States – a key to Mission 89’s work is addressing exploitation at the source of the problem rather than offering triage once a player is abandoned in Europe.

Many young players are unaware of the legitimate – and difficult – pathways to a career in Europe. It is often not realised that in most cases only elite players who have already represented their country at international level are eligible for work permits in Europe – even if a club does identify raw talent.

“How players move from Africa to Europe is often overlooked and there are many opportunities for young athletes to be exploited,” says Menaye Donkor, a supporter of Mission 89 who comes to the organization with a unique perspective.

Born in Canada, Donkor grew up in Ghana, and lived in Europe where she established businesses and ran an educational charity for underprivileged children. She was 2004’s Miss Universe Ghana and is married to Sulley Muntari, the Ghana midfielder who played for Portsmouth, Inter, and Milan.

“Mission 89’s work in offering credible research, advocating for young footballers, and looking to establish legitimate pathways for the players, should be applauded – not just by the public but the wider football industry,” Donkor says.

According to Mission 89, a pathway to addressing the multi-layered issues involves coordinating sports governing bodies – including FIFA, UEFA, and CAF – with government and non-government bodies, and law enforcement. Mission 89 sees a role in matchmaking these stakeholders and highlighting a compelling reason to bring everyone to the table: the player trade rarely results in a Champions League star and there are broad consequential gaps to fall through when many people chase that dream.

“Trafficking in persons remains the fastest growing crime in the world,” Bright says. “The pretense of a professional career in Europe’s leagues is often used to recruit young men into an underworld that benefits no one except those who want to exploit others. Creating pathways for the safe development and movement of young players searching for an opportunity in professional football is important – for the sport and our society.”

To obtain a copy of When Saturday Comes click this link. 

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Jason has an installation based on ‘Black Diamonds’ at the Spring/Break Art Show in New York City from March 6 to March 12. The exhibition features artists responding to the theme ‘Stranger Comes to Town’.

‘Black Diamonds’ documents the experience of footballers from West Africa who were scammed and abandoned in Istanbul. Their story is both unique and common (it’s complicated) and underlines the complex issue of player movment from Africa to Europe and the role of sport in human trafficking.

The photo essay also documents the challenges young athletes encounter as they face the harsh realities of migration and try to follow their dreams.

From ‘Black Diamonds’ by Jason Andrew SPRING/BREAK Art Show

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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

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In 2010, Andrew traveled to Istanbul in Turkey where he met aspiring footballers from Nigeria, players who would become the subject of his photography series Black Diamonds.

Photographs from the project revealed the reality of life for African players who had traveled to Turkey believing they would attend trials with famous teams like Galatasaray, Besiktas, or Fenerbahce. The truth was very different.

In part one of a two-part interview with Jason, the photographer explains how he met the footballers from Nigeria in Istanbul, what he learned about their journey from West Africa to Turkey, and what happens when players discover they are victims of a scam.

How did you meet the Nigerian players in Turkey?

It was a coincidence. I was in Turkey looking to do a story on the immigration issues that were happening on the Greek-Turkey border in October 2010. I was sitting in a café with a friend of mine in Istanbul and there was a slew of young West African guys constantly going by the café. I asked if there were many Africans in the area and he told me about a community called Kurtulus, a predominantly immigrant community.

I went down there and noticed a lot of these guys at a café. I went in, sat down to check my email, and began talking to this one kid. His name was Hakim. He told me he was in Turkey to play football and had been there for three months. I asked him what team he played for and he said he didn’t play for a team. He was brought over to Turkey by his coach, who he hadn’t spoken to or seen since he arrived in the country. The coach wasn’t answering his phone any more.

I came back the next day to talk to Hakim. He brought his friend Jerry and I found that there was a team of about 20 to 30 players that had been brought over from Nigeria. The coach was with them for the first seven to 10 days and then disappeared leaving them stranded in a hotel in Istanbul. They didn’t know where to go and somehow find their way down to the immigrant community in Kurtulus near Taksim Square.

With many West Africans living there, the boys felt they had found a community to plug into. There were also football pitches near there, which was great for their dream to play. They found accommodation in some single rooms above an industrial building where 25 to 50 Africans lived. They would play pick-up football games at night and try to find work during the day.

From ‘Black Diamonds’ by Jason Andrew

Was it unusual for players from Africa to be in Turkey?

Yes. At the time, there weren’t as many Africans in Turkey as there are now. There was mixed reactions from local people. They would either take pictures with them because they were exotic or they would be called by derogatory terms to make fun of them and would constantly try to beat them down. It was really difficult for them in the beginning.

It was really hard, as they were never going to be accepted. The only people who accepted them were the ones who were making money from them or those who were also being persecuted for being immigrants. The young Nigerians just basically kept to themselves. They kept to their churches that were all African, the restaurants where people were kind to them.

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

What pathway did the players take to Turkey? What were their expectations?

They were brought over by a coach from Nigeria who told them there were two destinations that they could go to: Germany or Turkey. The truth was they were all going to Turkey because it was easiest at that time to get a 30-day sports visa. The visas allowed players to come for 30 days and try out for football clubs then go back to their original country. What the players understood that to mean was they had 30 days to come play and the teams then recruit them and then they can stay in Turkey, which was not the case.

When it finally dawned on them that they wouldn’t be picked up by any team, they had one or two choices. Either stay [undocumented] or go back home and tell their families who had they borrowed all the money from that it was a scam and nothing had happened. Some went back home but most stayed. Turkey certainly wasn’t where they wanted to be.

The players thought that Turkey was in the European Union [editor’s note: Turkey is not a member of the EU] because they played in the UEFA Champions League. The players would post on social media sites elated about “having won their first medals in Europe” because they had played in a local league. They didn’t understand that the only way for them to actually get to Europe was to cross the Greek border. At the time, things in Greece were worse than they were in Turkey so they ended up staying in Istanbul.

From ‘Black Diamonds’ by Jason Andrew

Describe the players’ lives in Turkey.

Over the five years that I was on this project, I ended up staying and living with the players when I would travel there. Their living conditions were better than what it would be in Nigeria. Having constant electricity and internet was a huge plus for them. Nonetheless, it was rough. Many of the players had children back home. The majority of them came on passports that said they were eight or 10 years younger than they actually were. They were scared constantly of the police; young gangs of boys who would cause them problems; they were scared of theft.

One day while walking walk up a street with Hakim and some boys heckling him, Hakim said to me, “In Turkey I’m nothing but a n$%&er.” In his way of thinking, back home he would be respected but in Turkey he was the bottom of their shoes.

Did you know the players’ immigration status?

All the players had overstayed their visas at the time we met. They were all illegal as they had no immigration status and were flying under the radar. Right now, they all have residency permits. In 2014, the Turkish government began offering them residency permits that cost a lot of money and the guys were able to secure them.

The police didn’t harass them unless they thought they were dealing or transporting drugs. The players kept their noses clean. They only went where they knew they could go and stayed among each other. It got better over the years but never got great.

What were the players living conditions like?

They were initially living in a cement building where they lived in apartments in groups. They then moved to a studio flat that was on the fourth floor with five people – three on the bed and two on the floor. Then they moved to different places as they began to find work. By 2015, they had all pretty much left Istanbul and were living closer to the airport, which was more affordable with nicer apartments.

Do you think the players happy with their situation?

No. Not at all.

From ‘Black Diamonds’ by Jason Andrew

Did they want to return home or move to Europe?

They couldn’t really go back home. In the case of one of the guys, his mother had borrowed close to $5,000 to send him over to Europe. He wasn’t going to go back home until he could provide for his family. He was better off in Turkey trying to make some money that he could send home as opposed to being home with nothing. A few of them started small import export businesses dealing with clothing, car spare parts and whatever else they could to try to make money. Others got work in factories when they realised football wasn’t going to happen at that time.

Did the players still expect to play professional football in the future?

Yes. They even showed up to the big Turkish teams, Besiktas and Galatasaray and told them who they were and that they were there for trials. The teams would be shocked. To this day, the players still harbour ambitions of playing football at the top level. They are right now playing in the fourth division of the amateur leagues in Turkey. Turkish rules state that foreigners can’t play in the second and third divisions but can play in the top division. Problem is, very few to none of the first division coaches will go watch fourth division matches. They are stuck in the lowest division right now. The professional Turkish teams are not picking them up, there’s just no interest.

For more information on Jason and his projects go to www.jasonandrewphotography.com

Interview: Mwende Maureen for Mission 89

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It is a complex issue that involves exploitation of young athletes and at its worst examples is defined as human trafficking.

Just like a typical football match there are many forces in play and many individuals with specific roles that, when combined, create different outcomes. Money is a driving factor.

Young players want to improve the economic situation for themselves and their families and promises – many of them false – are seen as a circuit breaker.

Agents and academies want a piece of the money merry-go-round that revolves around professional football, especially in Europe and Asia.

Clubs at every level don’t want to miss out on the next big thing – whether for success on the field or success in making money selling players to other clubs.

Article 19 of FIFA’s regulations on the status and transfer of players states that international transfers of players are only permitted if the player is over the age of 18, yet loopholes and grey areas allow rules to be exploited or ignored.

Mission 89’s Matthew Hall was interviewed on Football Nation Radio to discuss the organization’s work in challenging these issues and how it plans to advocate, educate, and change the game.

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A report from the BBC explains how young players as young as 14 years old ended up in Laos – far from the bright lights of the UEFA Champions League. The case is an obvious example of how FIFA’s Article 19, which in part states that, “international transfers of players are only permitted if the player is over the age of 18.” is often ignored and how fake academies exploit young players and their families.

The report explains how underage boys traveled from Liberia to Laos with the promise of a professional contract with one of the country’s top clubs, Champasak United. One boy alleged that his teammates had not received contracts to play for the club. The conditions for the players were described as “like slave work”.

The Laotian club denied any wrongdoing and after pressure from FIFA and FIFPro, the international football player’s union, released 17 teenagers from the original party. Demonstrating the complexity underlying many trafficking issues, six minors chose to remain in Laos.

Read and watch the BBC report by clicking here.

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