Stranded South African players return from Spain

There’s been scenes of jubilation as the last batch of football players that were stranded in Europe arrived at the Cape Town International Airport this afternoon. They have been staying at a hotel in Lisbon for nearly a week after the organizers of their overseas trip allegedly couldn’t afford return flight tickets and had to rely on donors and private funders to get them home.

Pre-Trip:

• Late 2024 – Early July 2025: Parents began paying a significant sum per child to a football academy for an “all-inclusive” trip, covering flights, accommodation, food, and transport for a tournament in San Sebastián, Spain.
• Visa Delays: Despite early attempts to secure visas, the academy was only granted visa appointments much later than planned. Visas were received barely a week before the intended departure date, making it very difficult to secure affordable return flights.
• Financial Gamble: The academy booked outward flights but reportedly gambled on return flight prices dropping to fit within their budget, which did not happen. The cost of return flights so close to the departure date became prohibitively high.

During the Trip (July 2025):

• July 6: A group of approximately 35 teenagers and four coaches from the football academy departed from South Africa for Spain.
• July 7 – July 13: The teams participated in the Donosti Cup in San Sebastián, Spain.
• Mid-July (Around July 14-16): The players were originally scheduled to return to South Africa.
• Unraveling of Return Plans: When it was time to return, it became clear that return flight tickets had not been purchased, despite parents having paid for them.
• Move to Lisbon: The group eventually traveled by bus to Lisbon, Portugal, as flights back to South Africa were reportedly cheaper from there.
• Stranded in Lisbon: Approximately 25-28 children and 3 coaches remained stranded in Lisbon, staying in hostels or hotels, after failing to secure return flights.
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Reason for Being Stranded:

The primary reason for the players being stranded was the failure of the football academy to purchase return flight tickets. The academy cited the following contributing factors:

• Delayed Visa Processing: This pushed back their ability to book flights, leading to higher last-minute prices.
• Unaffordable Return Flight Costs: The academy claimed that by the time visas were secured, the cost of return flights was extremely high and beyond their budget, despite parents having paid an all-inclusive fee.
• Financial Strain and Lack of External Funding: The academy stated they had reached out to government departments for financial assistance but received no replies. They acknowledged a financial strain.