“I’m a big gamer, I have DVDs, take me to Saudi Arabia”

2023-10-16 09:36:43

The ball has always been a lifeline. She told it perfectly. The hand of God, a song written by Alejandro Romero and performed by Rodrigo Bueno and dedicated to Maradona. “In a village he was born, it was God’s desire to grow and survive humble expression. Face adversity. Eager to earn a living at every step. (…) I dreamed of playing a world and consecrate himself in First. Maybe by playing he could help his family.” Although the recruitment of young talents is increasingly precocious, soon changing the story of their lives, football emigrants continue to exist.

After publication in THE NEWSPAPER OF SPAINfrom the Prensa Ibérica group, from the article ‘”Players wanted for the third team in Arabia: 4,000 dollars plus house”: this is how football’s LinkedIn works’, dozens of proposals from agencies, intermediaries, but above all, began to arrive in my email all dozens of players, most from Africa, and some from Latin America, who requested more information about the offer published by FutbolJobs. Or that they even confused me with an intermediary.

The difficulty in obtaining papers and bridge countries

“I’m a great player, I have DVDs (to offer your best plays or ‘highlights’), take me to play in Arabia,” wrote a player in one of the messages received. In it, he described, in French, the skills he had to perform “in almost all positions” and his resume included experiences in football in your country. In this case, Senegal. After receiving a response in which he informed that he did not know any more details about the offer than those included in the report, he almost always responded to insist: “I can play for your club”.

In another of the cases discussed, a young footballer from Burkina Faso, with experience in his country’s first division, says that he is playing with a team in Turkey’s second division, because it is the easiest immigration step that is presented to you. Even the Burkina Faso Footballers Association echoed the news.

“Ibrahim Zongo is an attacking midfielder in the Turkish league. Thanks to his great technique, his speed and his good reading of the game, he has become the undisputed starter to help his club return to the Second Division. He is a great worker. A golden nugget to take into account in the development of the reconstruction of our team,” the organization noted. Although his dream is to play in Europe, he has encountered the refusal of intermediaries, “due to the difficulty in obtaining papers.”

Deceptions by agents to reach Europe

Saudi Arabia has carried out a similar strategy to strengthen its women’s football, with salaries of 5,000 euros for the first division, to which board and accommodation must be added. Both movements are part of the ‘Vision 2030’ plan.. However, the Old Continent is the great desire of the majority. But even after having set foot on land, the outcome may not be as expected.

“We lived in an apartment that the club paid for us, but a few weeks later FIFA passed a law prohibiting the signing of African players due to the illegal trafficking of minors. We had to go to Cameroon. If we couldn’t play, they couldn’t cover those expenses.“, a footballer who is still active and who managed to make a career in the Second Division tells this newspaper.

‘Becoming’ an agent was and is a fraudulent practice that FIFA wants to combat with a new regulation for intermediaries approved in January and which requires passing an exam. “Neither fathers, nor mothers, nor grandparents, if they want to be agents, they have to get the single license”is the message that has been transferred from the organization.

However, scams continue to occur, such as the one that gave rise to the Gol and Alevines operations, carried out in April of this year to uncover a scheme of scams against families of foreign children with false promises of advancement in professional football. Nearly 70 foreign minors and young people were identified, mainly Brazilians, whose families were offered participation in official competitions, accommodation, maintenance, study registration and completing procedures to obtain residence permits that never arrived.

“From Equatorial Guinea, seeking to fulfill my dreams”

In exchange, they asked for payment of more than 5,000 euros and monthly payments that ranged between 1,500 and 1,700 euros per player. “In my family, no one could afford to pay for a plane ticket or a stay in Europe, so you always had to trust in an opportunity,” says the Cameroonian player who became an international for his country.

In the case of operations Gol and Alevines, both organizations kept the young people in deplorable conditions during the 90 days they were in the destination state. They did it during this period, which is what the tourist visa allows. All immigration procedures were inadmissible for processing or denied, young people being forced to return to their places of origin. The Cameroonian soccer player was luckier and an employee of a nearby club took him and his partner in for a year in which they could train, but not compete.

Finally, both managed to pass a test with a team and began their career in Spain. Others are still waiting for their chance. “I am interested in the ad you posted about Saudi Arabia for soccer players. I want to be aware of all the details. What should I do and how can I do it. From Equatorial Guinea, looking to fulfill my dreams to be a soccer player outside of my country,” says another of the emails received.

Qualified signings for better opportunities

In the only Spanish colony in sub-Saharan Africa, the local federation was punished for owing two million euros to the Spanish coaches Esteban Becker and Miguel Ángel Pozanco, a situation recounted by this newspaper. However, FIFA made the decision in June to lift the sanction on Nzalang to allow it to play in the group stage of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) for the 2026 World Cup. Although proposals for exotic countries also attract European workers looking grow occupationally.

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“I have read your work about players in Saudi Arabia. I would like to know if you can or do have any information or person to contact more directly. (…) I worked for ten years at the RFEF in different sports functions. I have one or two courses taken on sports management and a good level of English“, explains a professional interacts after reading the aforementioned report. This is in line with the fact that Saudi Arabia is looking for personnel for technical teams to help improve the development of football in all areas.

“Dear sir. In the agency we have promising kids who would be interested in the Third Saudi Arabia, but we do not have any contact,” says an intermediary from a company specialized in seeking opportunities in exotic enclaves. An increasingly common window and from which players like José Pedrosa Galán, Spanish footballer interviewed by this newspaper who has played in 14 professional leagues on three continents. EITHER Pedro Taranconwho also told this newspaper how he became the first player from our country to play in the Faroe Islands. Different stories and motivations, but with a common link: the ball to seek a better future.