Listen to the audio version of this article (generated by AI).
Eighteen years ago, a 15-year-old boy named Sadio Mané left his village of Bambali in Senegal to attend a call-up for young talent organized by the Académie Génération Foot in Dakar. He would later become a well-known striker in European football. Lured by success stories like his, many young African football talents have reason for optimism in Europe, but sometimes those dreams fall victim to human trafficking.
In 2022, a gifted player named Chidubem, hailed as the next big star by the Aguda Boys Academy, arrived in Portugal from Lagos, Nigeria. His family sold land to fund his journey as a promising player for FC Porto. Upon arrival, however, hope met grim reality—he found no club, no contract, and only empty promises from a corrupt coach in league with a fraudulent agent. When he reached out to his academy for help, his calls went unanswered. Stranded, he quickly went from being a rising star to a homeless outcast, roaming the streets and surviving on scraps.
Eventually, Chidubem managed to return home from Portugal. However, extensive research into the human trafficking of young African football players by Norwegian investigative reporters Lars Madsen and Jens Johansson in 2010 revealed that about 20,000 former footballers were left homeless on the streets of European cities. This situation primarily arose from major European clubs exploiting loopholes in regulations to recruit young players from Africa, many of whom left their countries in pursuit of football dreams without any guarantees.
The Aguda Boys Academy that sent Chidubem to Europe is now defunct, explains Ezirim Chinedy Kennedy during our Zoom conversation. A trained lawyer and football coach, Kennedy worked against the academy’s illegal practices until it was ultimately dissolved. Unfortunately, the number of human traffickers—such as fake agents and deceitful academies—who target young Africans continues to rise, as demand for African footballers in Europe remains high.
Kennedy first met Chidubem at the YES Camp in Lagos, organized by the Yagazie Foundation, which he founded in 2018 to support youth dealing with trauma and violence through sports, particularly football, social activities, and mentorship. Due to the help of mentors and coaches engaged with the foundation, Chidubem was able to restore his mental health. In return, he volunteered at the camp, sharing his experiences with younger children to help them learn from his journey.
“The YES Camp is a hub for the younger generation to gain essential information for navigating life. Often, children are unaware of the implications of their actions. We teach them how to be cautious so they don’t fall victim to anyone,” says Kennedy. When he started the Yagazi Foundation, he visited communities in informal settlements in Lagos and sought the cooperation of local community leaders to attract young participants to the camp. Football proved to be the real game-changer; attendance soared when Kennedy began organizing events centered around the sport. “Football brings kids out of their shells like tortoises,” he explains. “A child who grows up in a slum must play football on the streets; otherwise, they are seen as outcasts.”
***
Ezirim Chinedy Kennedy grew up in the shanty town of Aguda in Lagos, where access to basic amenities was minimal; the power supply was erratic, water was scarce, and the roads were in poor condition. He describes this as a “crazy environment.” Despite these challenges, he was a good student and spent his days attending school and playing football for local teams. With small donations from family and friends, he managed to partially afford his college tuition, ensuring he wouldn’t lose his admission. He graduated with degrees in Law and International Relations while taking on side jobs and offering tutoring support to classmates in exchange for money and squatting with them since he couldn’t afford accommodation.
In his early 20s, Kennedy pursued coaching courses through the National Institute for Sports and various organizations in the Netherlands, the UK, and Barcelona. He earned a coaching license from the Confederation of African Football (CAF). Today, he mentors at various football academies and clubs, but his primary passion is the Yagazi Foundation, inspired by his father. His father, an orphan after the Nigerian Civil War, often took him to orphanages and hospices to demonstrate how “the mercy of people” had saved his life.
Kennedy aims to create a system that empowers local kids in Lagos while strengthening the overall football landscape to help maximize their potential and protect talented youngsters from violence and human trafficking. As a midfield maestro, he uses football to create opportunities in a city teeming with talent but also plagued by numerous social issues. “Despite Nigeria’s immense talent, many promising players never reach their potential due to exploitation, mismanagement, and a lack of proper development structures,” he says. “If we want a sustainable future for football, we must act now to improve coaching, eliminate fake agents, and revamp grassroots development.”
Read: How Afro Brunch Took Over Barcelona — and Is Still Unraveling in Spain
Each year, his YES camp takes place for one week and has reached approximately 1,000 children over four years, with equal participation from boys and girls. “The participants have expressed their need for productive outlets and activities that can help them escape the violence that negatively impacts their physical and mental well-being,” explains Kennedy. “We also distribute menstrual hygiene kits to young girls, as many of them resort to exchanging sex for pads. Some even lose their virginity for food. You can imagine the level of poverty,” he adds.
The camp serves as a refuge where kids can report cases of trauma, abuse, and violence they have experienced. They are encouraged to share their hopes and frustrations while enjoying the opportunity to play and develop their sports skills. A team of volunteers, including psychologists, mentors, and coaches, work with the youngsters to enhance their critical thinking, problem-solving, and teamwork skills. They address issues such as rape, early pregnancy, juvenile delinquency, drug addiction, and the consequences of living in dangerous environments. The program promotes a “can-do” attitude, boosting the confidence of all participants regardless of their football skills. By providing adequate support, they ensure that children do not feel compelled to sell their football dreams to unscrupulous agents associated with human trafficking networks in search of a better life.
International football teams have established training camps in Nigeria. Notably, in 2019, the Real Madrid Football Academy Port Harcourt was launched with the support of the Governor of Rivers State, who received the franchise from the Real Madrid Foundation. Kennedy praised the project because it promotes best practices for international football. He says the Yagazi Foundation would like to replicate this project in other parts of Nigeria where talents are more difficult to scout, and it can also achieve significant impact in communities.
In February, FIFA announced the establishment of its first elite academy in Mauritania, marking the first such academy on the African continent. This is the first of 75 elite academies that FIFA and the respective host FIFA Member Associations plan to create worldwide by 2027. According to FIFA, “these academies will help ensure that the best young talent, both girls and boys, get the best possible coaching, have access to proper facilities and have the chance to play in a competitive environment……Each academy will ensure a safe environment that promotes the well-being and holistic development of all players.”
It goes without saying that this is a step in the right direction. “But our camp focuses primarily on making a long-term impact on children and communities,” he points out. “After the camp, we follow up on them [the kids] to make sure they are doing well, and we create a channel for them to reach out to us any time there is an issue.”
Read: The Battle of Ocean Pollution Is Upstream
Kennedy envisions making the camp a permanent facility where children can find safety, support, and opportunities in football. If young players get the chance to play football professionally and transfer to Europe or elsewhere, they will do so in a secure environment, away from human trafficking networks. He hopes they will become ambassadors, giving back to the communities that nurtured and protected them. I remind Kennedy that this is uncommon in professional players. Sadio Mané is one of the exceptions; he has not forgotten his roots and is known for his charitable efforts, including building a hospital and a school and supporting the development of families in his hometown.
“We infuse that mentality in our young players because I’ve realized that most football clubs don’t do this. They primarily focus on training players to enhance their value and facilitate transfers for profit. Our approach is different; we train, empower, teach, and inspire. So that when they hit stardom and become successful athletes, they can be ambassadors who will help their community in return. This is why the YES camp initiative is different.”
Remarkably, football clubs pay substantial transfer fees for players. That money will help Kennedy’s camp expand its humanitarian projects in various communities and empower and train more children. “Our watchword is ‘you must make the world better than how you found it,’” he pounds at the end.
