OUSMAN MANNEH:'Im Ousman Manneh
OUSMAN MANNEH:'And I've come to Ghana to find out what happens to African youngsters 'who want to make a career in football.
OUSMAN MANNEH:'Thousands attend unlicensed academies 'in the hope of one day making it to Europe.
OUSMAN MANNEH:'Their coaches who in turn hope to make money out of 'selling them onto clubs.
OUSMAN MANNEH:'Encourage them to believe they will defiantly make it. 'Kids here work hard from a very young age so it's no wonder 'they and their families are looking for an escape from poverty.'
OUSMAN MANNEH:Ghana is a very beautiful country on the Atlantic Ocean but a third of the population here, live on less than a dollar a day.
OUSMAN MANNEH:Football is a way out. And that’s why some of these families are all but too happy to send their kids far away.
STEELPAN MUSIC
OUSMAN MANNEH:'To find out more, I'm going to Cheetah FC in Ghana's capital Accra.
OUSMAN MANNEH:'It's run by Abdul Yartey
ABDUL YARTEY:It's a dream of every family to see their boy playing in Europe or outside of Africa. That way they believe that aside from the fame, the boy will be getting some money and try to take care of the family as well.
OUSMAN MANNEH:'Ernest is one of the Yartey's footballers.
OUSMAN MANNEH:'Who's dream of making it to Europe seemed to come true 'when he was invited to trials in Turkey by two major clubs.'
ERNEST:I was happy because my aim in life was to play in Europe so when I get help to go to Europe, I was happy.
ERNEST:And all my friends are also so happy because it's not easy to get to Europe to play.
ERNEST:So I was happy and my family too was happy for their boy is traveling to Europe to play.
OUSMAN MANNEH:'Still only 16, Ernest flew off to Europe a new continent to him, on his own and trusting himself to a complete stranger, his new agent.
OUSMAN MANNEH:So did you meet this agent before you went to Istanbul?
OUSMAN MANNEH:Or did you actually meet him–
ERNEST:I met him in Istanbul.
OUSMAN MANNEH:So you didn’t know him?
ERNEST:I did not know him.
OUSMAN MANNEH:So was you a bit worried like, going to a different country meeting someone that you haven't even–
ERNEST:No!
ERNEST:I was very scared in the first time but I don’t know anyone in Europe.
ERNEST:And I was scared that when I get to the airport, I couldn’t find anyone but lucky for me when I get airport they were there holding my name.
ERNEST:Then I go to them and they pick me up.
OUSMAN MANNEH:'The trials went well but he was too young to sign the contract. 'So he was sent back home after a couple of months.
OUSMAN MANNEH:'Luckily for him, he could return to his club and Yartey 'who still support his dream of becoming an international player.'
OUSMAN MANNEH:'But not everyone is so fortunate. Every year thousands of young 'Africans are abandoned on the streets of Europe.
OUSMAN MANNEH:'When unscrupulous agents let them down.
OUSMAN MANNEH:'The next part of the story takes us to France.'
LUKE RUSSO:'I slept in the street and I slept in the underground.' My suitcase didn’t have enough warm clothes. Just my football kit and a few provisions from my home.
OUSMAN MANNEH:'When he was just 16, Luke Russo, who is also from West Africa, 'found himself alone and homeless on the streets of Paris.
OUSMAN MANNEH:'He was a talented young footballer, who had been spotted by 'a scout at his local club.'
LUKE RUSSO:When I was at school, there was a sports teacher who used to write to my mother all the time.
LUKE RUSSO:Saying I can see your son as a footballer. He has all the right qualities and should be encouraged.
OUSMAN MANNEH:'Luke's dreams of becoming a professional footballer 'seemed to come true.
OUSMAN MANNEH:'When one day a Nigerian agent approached him 'and said he could get him into a club In Europe.
LUKE RUSSO:I was very happy you know, in my own mind when they said that I was going to play at a good level and live the dream I'd had for so long.
LUKE RUSSO:That I would train in an academy and play at the very top. Play on TV, that was just my dream! I had to play, that’s it.
OUSMAN MANNEH:'But the dream began to turn sour. The agent was soon looking for money from Luke's family.
LUKE RUSSO:He came and told my mother that he didn’t have enough money to pay for the administration costs. And it was up to the family to pay for it.
LUKE RUSSO:So my mother gave him the money.
OUSMAN MANNEH:'The agent took Luke to Paris. 'Telling him he'd earned a trail with a major Portuguese Club. 'And they were traveling there by train.'
LUKE RUSSO:He took us to the Gare du Nord. And told us we'd get the train to Lisbon. He told me to wait there. He was going to get a couple of other boys. That was the last I saw of him.
LUKE RUSSO:I didn’t know what to do.
OUSMAN MANNEH:'Luke was left homeless and penniless. 'His story isn't unique.'
OUSMAN MANNEH:'Since 2005, a support group set up by a former Cameroonian player 'has helped more than 18 hundred African youngsters like Luke.
OUSMAN MANNEH:'In the Paris region alone.'
CAPTION:JEAN-CLAUDE MBVOUMIN
JEAN-CLAUDE MBVOUMIN:Some families pay about five thousand Euro, Six thousand Euro… And when the children come into Europe they are abandoned at the end of the visa. You know, when the visa expires they are in illegal situation.
JEAN-CLAUDE MBVOUMIN:So, they are going to the black market. Sometimes they play in amateur leagues but generally they are abandoned on the street.
OUSMAN MANNEH:And these children they are very far from their families it's not a good situation for the children.
Because the children need education, they need advice with their life but when they stay on the street it's very, very bad situation.
DIAMIL FAYE:It is a business, it is a real business. And the product goes from A to B and in between there are a lot of things that we cannot control.
OUSMAN MANNEH:'Luke eventually ended up in a children's home. 'Where the authorities said he would never play football in France.'
LUKE RUSSO:I was told that I should change. They said that I should change my dream. Frankly, that was like killing me. Like stabbing my heart with a knife.
LUKE RUSSO:Because, in my head they were telling me that I couldn’t play football. They told me I should learn a trade instead.
OUSMAN MANNEH:'Luckily for him, Diamil Faye has now offered him a place 'on a team he runs back in Africa.
OUSMAN MANNEH:'So aged 18. 'He's getting ready to start his new life in another country.'
LUKE RUSSO:It's a new beginning for me. After all I've been through and suffered. Now I feel as though this is a new life I am going to start. And I'm proud of that.
OUSMAN MANNEH:There are over 30 African players currently playing in the Premier League.
OUSMAN MANNEH:And about 14 of them are from Ghana. We have big names like Michael Essien Didier Drogba, Salomon Kalou. Which are pretty big names in the Premier League.
OUSMAN MANNEH:But It's sad to think that for the very few who make it so many other youngsters are exploited and abandoned to their own destiny.
Ousmann Manneh, a 20-year old footballer from the Gambia now living in the UK, looks into the plight of African youths who are promised the dream of playing in the European football leagues.
Ousmann interviews one youth who was abandoned on the streets of Paris by a Nigerian agent who took the money and ran.
The reality of life on the streets in Paris is a far cry from the life of a top flight footballer and also of life in West Africa.
This clip is from the series Children at Work: Football.
Teacher Notes
The youths in this clip have been victims of unscrupulous men who have stolen their money and their rights.
Therefore, a good project would be for pupils to investigate what rights these individuals would normally expect.
For example, if Luke had come to England and been left homeless, what rights would he have?
This could also lead into an investigation of what rights he had at home and whether or not there would be any justice for him in the future.
Pupils could investigate whether or not this 'trade' is specific only to football, or if it happens in any other sports or trades.
Ask the students to consider what laws could be put in place to prevent this abuse from happening to children in the future.
Pupils could also write to the Prime Minister explaining what is happening and trying to bring his attention to this trade.
Curriculum Notes
This clip is relevant for teaching PSHE at KS3 and GCSE. This topic appears in Edexcel, AQA, KS3 and GCSE in England and Wales, CCEA GCSE in Northern Ireland, and SQA National 4 and 5 in Scotland.
More from Children at Work: Football
Unofficial football academies in Ghana (pt 1/3) video
Ousmann Manneh, a 20-year old footballer from the Gambia now living in the UK, looks into the unofficial football academies in Ghana and the potential to exploit boys who dream of playing in the leagues of Europe.
Training provided by official football academies in Ghana (pt 3/3) video
Ousmann Manneh, a 20-year old footballer visits an official football academy in Ghana.The official academy does not give false hope and mixes coaching with education.
