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{"source_url": "https://www.theguardian.com", "url": "https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2019/dec/31/field-of-broken-dreams-footballs-slave-trade-photo-essay", "title": "Field of broken dreams: football\u2019s slave trade \u2013 photo essay", "top_image": "https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/9c12e80589705ea0a0ff7fcb4d10b45ce12de0d2/0_99_1498_899/master/1498.jpg?width=1200&height=630&quality=85&auto=format&fit=crop&overlay-align=bottom%2Cleft&overlay-width=100p&overlay-base64=L2ltZy9zdGF0aWMvb3ZlcmxheXMvdGctZGVmYXVsdC5wbmc&enable=upscale&s=4f224e4140f9e303a3d679e690563f44", "meta_img": "https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/9c12e80589705ea0a0ff7fcb4d10b45ce12de0d2/0_99_1498_899/master/1498.jpg?width=1200&height=630&quality=85&auto=format&fit=crop&overlay-align=bottom%2Cleft&overlay-width=100p&overlay-base64=L2ltZy9zdGF0aWMvb3ZlcmxheXMvdGctZGVmYXVsdC5wbmc&enable=upscale&s=4f224e4140f9e303a3d679e690563f44", "images": ["https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/007c918b09c4768260e0e6fa8238493ebc20acf9/0_0_1276_850/master/1276.jpg?width=300&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=212b7073449e27d262b1446b1a1b9be4", "https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/85fd62450f5c94f0c4a62f723c7d5541c710941f/0_0_1276_850/master/1276.jpg?width=300&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=b7d16a220b87745f0fbdced3bc6aeb5a", "https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/58755433dc33fd1ec889c2a9dc3c97def89a466b/0_0_1276_850/master/1276.jpg?width=300&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=80dad4d10ae5a54abdc5e38afb498dc9", "https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/ef946cafc8c5b8117f1db9f66e6a1baf5f7f1463/0_0_1276_850/master/1276.jpg?width=300&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=4c3101fa839c2dfe7084abd8fa21f158", "https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/afdcc56f461b84fab710bb308ad14725f44f707b/0_0_1276_850/master/1276.jpg?width=300&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=a897b794c648679e902cb8dc361e6421", "https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/fe6bf693b25ab01c9094c24d2e7807f8190d94c4/0_0_1276_850/master/1276.jpg?width=300&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=f86ca9c725fc9fd70a1bcbabefcd2ec1", "https://static.theguardian.com/commercial/sponsor/global-development/series/modern-day-slavery-in-focus/logo.png", "https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/9c12e80589705ea0a0ff7fcb4d10b45ce12de0d2/0_99_1498_899/master/1498.jpg?width=1200&height=630&quality=85&auto=format&fit=crop&overlay-align=bottom%2Cleft&overlay-width=100p&overlay-base64=L2ltZy9zdGF0aWMvb3ZlcmxheXMvdGctZGVmYXVsdC5wbmc&enable=upscale&s=4f224e4140f9e303a3d679e690563f44", "https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/a1725fd45597b9bf9754d349fee8ff6f03c14d69/0_0_1276_850/master/1276.jpg?width=300&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=21c8baa6dc9856cb0524911fffd502d1", "https://phar.gu-web.net/count/pvg.gif", "https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/803b9e6c94fc187b6d2950a608b55164a7c73a72/0_0_1276_850/master/1276.jpg?width=300&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=78af7fbadf8a01874bbb8f697ea30088", "https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/673453628f4191ff02e55bbfdeab4cd1afc2251f/0_0_1276_850/master/1276.jpg?width=300&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=9925c49cb3baa76f5cf354fa1cb01aa6", "https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/9c12e80589705ea0a0ff7fcb4d10b45ce12de0d2/0_99_1498_899/master/1498.jpg?width=300&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=f1249b93bf65037882136be7a50fc8f8", "https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/b833bce8bfbbb56b342c9e7060344412f83b09d2/0_0_1276_850/master/1276.jpg?width=300&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=da5dc922654397d8b71a7c17d3583e31", "https://sb.scorecardresearch.com/p?c1=2&c2=6035250&cv=2.0&cj=1&comscorekw=Global+development%2CSlavery%2CFootball%2CTurkey%2CAfrica%2CSport%2CWorld+news", "https://phar.gu-web.net/count/pv.gif", "https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/5851f295d6bdf91a8f944be3b5d196899da92c39/0_0_1276_850/master/1276.jpg?width=300&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=bdd9274df805e94a7a7a61b635ae7a6b", "https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/85b047920bb934c219bef534bc2f01b9e064ae97/0_0_1276_850/master/1276.jpg?width=300&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=a16570a9066c274fae3cc3aaef0a3b6c", "https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/da1cbdb189382b3d9f631a36234f95feadde3575/0_0_1276_850/master/1276.jpg?width=300&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=20d25b323684e0ea840d315d458d3098", "https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/62d6349102df520dbac2d9f0cc0eab3a2c56b1dd/0_0_1276_850/master/1276.jpg?width=300&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=eae274e7203733980d3c5ef1e7d09278"], "movies": [], "text": "For months, Yves Kibendo woke up every morning at 6am. He would leave his house in an ancient area of Istanbul, returning late in the evening, after working for 12 hours in a textile factory.\n\nHe was paid under the table, or sometimes not at all.\n\nYves Kibendo enjoys a kickabout on Istanbul\u2019s waterfront.\n\nBut Kibendo didn\u2019t come from the Democratic Republic of the Congo to work long shifts in a factory, he came to play football.\n\nFast and talented, Kibendo plays on the right wing. Hundreds of young African football players like him arrive in Turkey every year to seek their fortune. In many cases, intermediaries bring them with the promise of a trial at one of the big clubs in Istanbul. The players pay up to $5,000 (\u00a33,800) for a \u201cfull package\u201d, including visa, accommodation and contacts with talent scouts.\n\nBut many are left deeply disappointed. Shortly after Kibendo arrived in Turkey he found himself with an expired visa and none of the opportunities he had been promised.\n\nCommunities often invest all their money in these young people, hoping they will become rich and lift those at home out of misery. But in most cases these young men find themselves stranded soon after they arrive.\n\nSometimes there is no one waiting for them. In other cases, the trials are nothing but a show, with no real link to a football club. The young hopefuls find themselves alone, in a country they don\u2019t know, whose language they don\u2019t speak. None of them want to go back, having invested and risked so much just to get here.\n\nEven when the \u201ctrial\u201d does take place it is often a sham. The footballers are brought to small pitches on the outskirts of town to show their abilities. But actually there are no scouts to watch. After a few hours, it is all over. They are simply told they have missed their opportunity, even though no opportunity actually existed.\n\nJulius Kugor, a leading figure in Turkey\u2019s African community, at the stadium of Bes\u0327iktas\u0327, one of the biggest clubs in Istanbul.\n\n\n\n\n\nWhen their visa expires they are stranded and turn to Istanbul\u2019s African communities for help. They are ready to do any kind of job just to survive. Many start working illegally in factories \u2013 mostly producing shoes and T-shirts \u2013 or selling fake watches and perfumes to tourists. They are vulnerable and often blackmailed by criminal gangs.\n\nJulius Kugor has been fighting these scams for years. A former footballer, he is now a leading figure in the African community in Turkey and campaigns to stop the trafficking. \u201cWe have written many times to the Turkish embassies in African countries, but nothing has changed. The boys keep coming,\u201d says Kugor.\n\nKugor campaigns to stop the trafficking of young African footballers.\n\nTo give these players an opportunity, a special \u201cAfrican Cup\u201d was created 15 years ago by the African community in Istanbul. In 2005, only six countries took part. Now the tournament includes teams from 16 nations. The purpose is to raise the profile of the players. On the terraces of Istanbul\u2019s small Ferik\u00f6y stadium, agents and scouts from all over Turkey are joined by colleagues from Georgia, Azerbaijan, northern Cyprus and Bulgaria. They\u2019re on the lookout for low-cost, talented players. At the end of the tournament, perhaps a dozen will find clubs.\n\nNigeria and Seychelles in action.\n\nYves Kibendo and teammates.\n\nThe tournament is popular with the African community in Istanbul.\n\nSani Gideon got his big chance this way. A 29-year-old Nigerian, who plays on the left wing, he is one of the few who who has made it. Starting from this pitch in the suburbs, he ended up playing for Akhisarspor in the S\u00fcper Lig, Turkey\u2019s first division. But at the beginning it was difficult for him. He spent months doing cleaning jobs that paid only a few pounds a day. But today his story is an inspiration for many younger players. Whenever he can Gideon comes back to where it started and helps as a trainer for the Nigerian team.\n\nSani Gideon, who now plays professionally.\n\nIn recent years Turkey has become one of the major arrival points for migrants and refugees from the Middle East and central Asia. As well as the 3.6 million Syrians now living there with temporary protection status, hundreds of thousands of Afghans, Pakistanis and Iraqis have entered Turkey without legal documents. Faced with these figures, migration from Africa has not been at the top of the political agenda in Ankara.\n\nGideon at his Istanbul home.\n\nGideon now plays for Akhisarspor.\n\nYasir Bodur, a sociologist at Istanbul \u015eehir University, is among the few academics to address this topic. For several years he has been researching the daily lives of these immigrants, with a focus on working conditions and social environment. According to Bodur, the lack of institutional support exposes them to the risk of exploitation.\n\n\u201cFootball is a common passion helping to overcome the distances and open channels of dialogue with the Turkish population. But after the game, these guys still find themselves isolated from the local community,\u201d says Bodur.\n\nJean Claude Effa\u2019Aessi.\n\nJean Claude Effa\u2019Aessi is a football agent from Cameroon who also works forIstanbul\u2019s African Cup. Before the games, he reminds everyone of the spirit of the tournament: do your best, play fair, respect each other. \u201cThere are so many talented young players among these guys. I try to give them advice,\u201d says Effa\u2019Aessi.\n\nOne of the games at the Feriko\u0308y Stadium.\n\nFootballers pray for success before a match.\n\nOne of the coaches watches.\n\nUnfortunately, Kibendo could not find a team this year. Despite a stint as a professional player in Angola, he has had no luck in Turkey. Sometimes talent is not enough. Many clubs in lower divisions shy away from signing foreign players because of bureaucratic and financial difficulties. However, Kibendo doesn\u2019t want to give up. \u201cBut this can\u2019t be for ever. If I keep failing, I will be forced to look for a plan B, meaning I will try to get to Greece on a migrant boat,\u201d he says. \u201cEven though I know I would risk my life.\u201d", "keywords": [], "meta_keywords": ["Global development", "Slavery", "Football", "Turkey", "Africa", "Sport", "World news"], "tags": [], "authors": ["Cristoforo Spinella"], "publish_date": "Tue Dec 31 00:00:00 2019", "summary": "", "article_html": "", "meta_description": "All they want is to do is play football, but for many young hopefuls from Africa their expensive journey to Turkey ends in exploitation", "meta_lang": "en", "meta_favicon": "https://assets.guim.co.uk/images/favicons/fee5e2d638d1c35f6d501fa397e53329/152x152.png", "meta_data": {"description": "All they want is to do is play football, but for many young hopefuls from Africa their expensive journey to Turkey ends in exploitation", "format-detection": "telephone=no", "HandheldFriendly": "True", "viewport": "width=device-width,minimum-scale=1,initial-scale=1", "apple-mobile-web-app-title": "Guardian", "application-name": "The Guardian", "msapplication-TileColor": "#052962", "theme-color": "#052962", "msapplication-TileImage": "https://assets.guim.co.uk/images/favicons/023dafadbf5ef53e0865e4baaaa32b3b/windows_tile_144_b.png", "author": "Cristoforo Spinella", "thumbnail": "https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/9c12e80589705ea0a0ff7fcb4d10b45ce12de0d2/0_99_1498_899/master/1498.jpg?width=620&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=0ff17331d00e66d8bc14ae606203e687", "keywords": "Global development,Slavery,Football,Turkey,Africa,Sport,World news", "news_keywords": "Global development,Slavery,Football,Turkey,Africa,Sport,World news", "og": {"url": "http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2019/dec/31/field-of-broken-dreams-footballs-slave-trade-photo-essay", "image": "https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/9c12e80589705ea0a0ff7fcb4d10b45ce12de0d2/0_99_1498_899/master/1498.jpg?width=1200&height=630&quality=85&auto=format&fit=crop&overlay-align=bottom%2Cleft&overlay-width=100p&overlay-base64=L2ltZy9zdGF0aWMvb3ZlcmxheXMvdGctZGVmYXVsdC5wbmc&enable=upscale&s=4f224e4140f9e303a3d679e690563f44", "description": "All they want is to do is play football, but for many young hopefuls from Africa their expensive journey to Turkey ends in exploitation", "type": "article", "title": "Field of broken dreams: football\u2019s slave trade \u2013 photo essay", "site_name": "the Guardian"}, "article": {"author": "https://www.theguardian.com/profile/cristoforo-spinella", "publisher": "https://www.facebook.com/theguardian", "section": "Global development", "published_time": "2019-12-31T07:00:29.000Z", "tag": "Global development,Slavery,Football,Turkey,Africa,Sport,World news", "modified_time": "2019-12-31T07:00:29.000Z"}, "al": {"ios": {"url": "gnmguardian://global-development/2019/dec/31/field-of-broken-dreams-footballs-slave-trade-photo-essay?contenttype=Article&source=applinks", "app_store_id": 409128287, "app_name": "The Guardian"}}, "fb": {"app_id": 180444840287, "pages": 516977308337360}, "twitter": {"app": {"id": {"iphone": 409128287, "ipad": 409128287, "googleplay": "com.guardian"}, "name": {"googleplay": "The Guardian", "ipad": "The Guardian", "iphone": "The Guardian"}, "url": {"ipad": "gnmguardian://global-development/2019/dec/31/field-of-broken-dreams-footballs-slave-trade-photo-essay?contenttype=Article&source=twitter", "googleplay": "guardian://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2019/dec/31/field-of-broken-dreams-footballs-slave-trade-photo-essay", "iphone": "gnmguardian://global-development/2019/dec/31/field-of-broken-dreams-footballs-slave-trade-photo-essay?contenttype=Article&source=twitter"}}, "image": "https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/9c12e80589705ea0a0ff7fcb4d10b45ce12de0d2/0_99_1498_899/master/1498.jpg?width=1200&height=630&quality=85&auto=format&fit=crop&overlay-align=bottom%2Cleft&overlay-width=100p&overlay-base64=L2ltZy9zdGF0aWMvb3ZlcmxheXMvdGctZGVmYXVsdC5wbmc&s=d2ea7f09cfc1e1229ae8ecd4aba22368", "site": "@guardian", "card": "summary_large_image", "dnt": "on"}}, "canonical_link": "https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2019/dec/31/field-of-broken-dreams-footballs-slave-trade-photo-essay"} |
