By Rachel Mohamed
Thanks to significant community support, recent reports indicate that the children and coaches will be safely returning to South Africa sometime this week. This news follows an outcry from the Cape Town community after it was revealed that more than 20 children were stranded in Lisbon, Portugal, due to alleged incompetence on the part of the local BT Football Academy.
Speaking on VOC News, Bennet Bailey, the President of the South African Football Association (SAFA) Cape Town, stated that the trip had not been approved by either SAFA or the Local Football Association (LFA), and no one was aware of it.
“What makes matters worse is that we are trying to determine the legitimacy of this so-called club. Our investigation revealed that they do not belong to any recognised association, which complicates the situation. They were previously part of the Two Oceans Football Local Association but resigned to affiliate with Cape Winelands. I spoke with the president of Cape Winelands, and he confirmed, ‘You can tell anyone these guys do not belong to us. They are neither here nor there. They are not affiliated anywhere.”
Listen to the full interview:
VOC News
Photo: Instagram/ BT Football
