-
[FILE IMAGE]: A soccer ball on the field in a stadium.
South African Football Association (SAFA) Cape Town president, Bennet Bailey says a full investigation will be launched after young soccer players from Cape Town were left stranded in Spain.
He says the BT Academy, which organised the trip, is not registered with SAFA.
Authorities in the Western Cape have confirmed that the remaining players will arrive back home by Thursday. The group left the city earlier this month to take part in a football tournament in Spain. They were left stranded after the academy allegedly failed to pay for return flights and accommodation. They are currently staying in a hotel in Lisbon, Portugal. Bailey says Safa will be investigating the matter fully.
“BT Academy used to belong to the Two Oceans Local Football Association as a member of SAFA Cape Town; they subsequently resigned to go to Cape Winelands. I spoke to the president of SAFA Cape Winelands earlier today to enquire and also to do some homework because if you don’t belong on this side, you may belong somewhere,” says Bailey.
The owner of BT Football Academy, Brandon Timmy has apologized after a group of soccer players from Cape Town were left stranded in Europe.
About 35 young players affiliated with the unregistered academy left on the sixth of this month to participate in a soccer tournament in Spain. They were expected back in the country last Wednesday, but their return flight tickets were not booked.
“I apologise for what has happened here this is an emotional thing I am a dad as well I would not have wanted them to go through something like this what I wanted was to say to them I will try my best in any way I have relationships with those kids these are the kids that I coached as well I sympathize with the parents as well I just want to let them know I made a mistake I apologize for all of this that transpired,” Timmy explains.
Video: Group of soccer players stranded in Portugal
