Flights back to South Africa have been secured for all 28 remaining members of a local football academy who are currently stuck in Europe.
This is according to Melisha Moodley, the travel agent doing the bookings for BT Football Academy’s return tickets.
The money for the flights was collected through the Football Academy Flight Fund, a public campaign created by Tracey Lange, according to Moodley.
Lange, a radio host at KFM, created the Flight Fund on 20 July, said Moodley. The flights will arrive in Cape Town on 22 and 23 July, she said.
The tickets cost between R19 000 and R20 000 per seat, according to Chriszelda Williams, the mother of a BT Football Academy player from Stellenbosch. Her child was still in Lisbon, Portugal at the time of writing.
This came after the BT Football Academy failed to secure return tickets for the players.
The opening ceremony of the Donosti Cup 2025, as posted on the BT Football Academy Facebook page. The BT Football Academy travelled to Spain to compete in the tournament on 6 July, and were to return to South Africa on 16 July, according to Chriszelda Williams, the mother of a player from Stellenbosch. PHOTO: Supplied/BT Football Academy
BT Football is a football academy located in Cape Town, according to its Facebook page. The players recently competed in the Donosti Cup, a tournament held in Spain, according to a media statement released by BT Football on 20 July.
A total of 34 players and four coaches departed for Spain on 6 July, and were to return to South Africa on 16 July, said Williams.
Budgeting problems
The players and coaches were unaware that the flight tickets to Spain were one-way, according to Jayvin Chisholm, a coach at BT Football.
“The parents were asking questions about what time is the [return] flights and stuff,” said Chisholm. “I told them the only person who could give them answers is coach Brandon.”
Parents of competing players paid R50 000 for the tour, and this “basically included everything”, said Brandon Timmy, the owner of BT Football Academy.
However, by the time the teams received their visas, which was a week before the departure date, return tickets were too expensive, according to Timmy.
“[This] made the budget that we set out for the tour slightly more,” said Timmy.
According to Timmy, he was “quite confident” that they “could source out sponsorships because of the nature of the tournament and how big it was”. This would have funded the return tickets, he said.
“There were a good few companies that we’ve reached out to, and obviously it didn’t happen,” said Timmy. “This is where the parents came in to help and assist.”
Stranded in Europe
Chisholm returned to South Africa on 19 July with nine young players, and said that his ticket was paid for by one of the parents.
Timmy did not communicate with the parents, according to Williams.
“He [did] not answer,” she claimed. “He [did] not talk to us.”
The players and coaches of the BT Football Academy stayed at Residencial Duque de Saldanha in Lisbon, Portugal, according to Brandon Timmy, the owner of BT Football. The team members travelled from Madrid to Lisbon on Sunday, 20 July, according to Chriszelda Williams, the mother of a BT Football Academy player from Stellenbosch. SCREENSHOT: Anke Spies
The parents have been sending money to pay for the group’s food and accommodation in Europe, said Williams.
Williams alleged Timmy gave “absolutely nothing”, and that the team’s transport from Madrid to Lisbon on 20 July was paid for by a parent.
However, Timmy denied the claims that he was not paying for accommodation.
“There’s a lot of emotions now from the parents,” he said.
According to Chisholm, who has been a coach at BT Football since 2023, Timmy paid for the accommodation, but was “using the money that the parents paid extra”.
“He asked parents to pay an extra R15 000 to add on to the flights and stuff,” said Chisholm.
A timeline of the events following the BT Football Academy’s arrival in Spain to compete in the Donosti Cup 2025. INFOGRAPHIC: Anke Spies
This is a developing story.