They come in search of the dream of playing football in Ronaldo’s land and are often held hostage by those who sold, exploited and trafficked them the dream. The case of the BSports Academy, which turned Portuguese football upside down last week, is just one of many. “The Foreigners and Borders Service (SEF) is conducting about thirty investigations involving sports associations or football clubs, namely in connection with the exploitation of players who travel to Portugal with the promise that they will be seen by scouts/businessmen to fulfill the dream. of games in Europe,” the criminal police agency integrated into the Ministry of the Interior (MAI) told DN.
Since January, 249 surveys have been distributed for research, according to the SEF. And of those, nine were for human trafficking.
Also according to the data sent to DN, in the past five years (2018-2022), there were 63 investigations related to sports institutions and foreign citizens engaged in sports activities, of which 30 were sent to the prosecution with a proposal for impeachment. During this period, 61 football clubs and four businessmen were specifically investigated, appointing 103 defendants, most of whom are club or association leaders (76), but also involve athletes (12) and even a coach, in addition to 14 agents/ player managers.
The actions mainly focused on preventing, detecting and combating phenomena related to aiding illegal immigration, with a particular focus on football. In the past five years, “about 30 athletes have been identified as (suspected) victims of human trafficking and/or labor exploitation”, most of them have Brazilian nationality (17). About 260 victims of the crime of aiding illegal immigration were also recorded.
According to the SEF, the priority is “the well-being of the victim of trafficking”, which is why the service works closely with the regional specialized multidisciplinary teams of the North, Center, Lisbon, Alentejo, Algarve, Azores and Madeira, coordinated by the Association for Family Planning, a non-governmental organization that has been working since 2008 to identify, identify and assist victims.
These teams function as SOS and are aimed at providing assistance at a regional level, acting from proximity and in coordination with local actors. “When they are identified as potential victims of trafficking, they are referred to specialized facilities, where a timely response is provided to the need for medical support and emotional and psychological stability,” the SEF said.
BSports case shook the football
In the case of BSports, 47 victims of human trafficking from countries in Africa, Asia and South America were identified, 36 of them minors, who were under state protection, according to figures from the Commission for the Protection of Children and Youth and the Family Court and Minors from Vila Nova de Famalicao. Many of them have already returned to the country, after being heard by an examining magistrate for future memory, with a view to a possible trial, DN learned.
The case shocked Portuguese football last week due to the involvement of the newly elected President of the League’s General Assembly, Mário Costa, who has since resigned after being charged with suspected human trafficking (as well as his father, according to TVI, and five other companies). The director of the academy (and Mário Costa’s cousin) was abroad when the MP carried out Operation “El Dourado”, but will be heard once he returns to Portugal.
The investigation had been ongoing since 2020, when the SEF sent the file to the Public Prosecution Service, which then delegated the conduct of the investigation to the SEF. The operation started on June 12. The election of Mário Costa (on 1st) hastened the SEF’s action, according to DN, to prevent the possible continuation of human trafficking with its epicenter in BSports. The case falls under judicial secrecy.
The players assured that they were required to hand over their passports and were not allowed to leave the premises without permission, in addition to feeling that they were being watched 24 hours a day. Only adults are allowed to go out and if they have asked for permission in advance. Still according to the testimonies, the athletes paid between 600 and 2000 euros per month for sports and academic training for 11 months.
New measures on July 10
To prevent escalation of cases such as that of BSports, the government has set up a working group to propose new measures. Forcing clubs to offer work contracts to athletes in the registration phase, penalizing sports non-compliance (e.g. with competitive relegation) or forcing academies and gyms to guarantee sports insurance for athletes are some of the government proposals, such as he said. the Secretary of State for Sport, João Paulo Correia, in an interview with RR/Público.
The Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) suggested that foreigners arriving in the country to play sports be subject to prior advice and have an identified responsible person. And for the SEF, it’s important to make an amendment to the immigration law, to make it more incisive, to make it easier to control the phenomenon.
But everyone seems to agree that not everything goes through legislative changes. Equally important are playing on prevention, increasing control and supervision and preventing cases from developing into criminal investigations. The reform plan will be presented at the National Sports Council meeting to be held on July 10. Until then, the working group will meet two more times – the following Monday – to discuss the proposals and amendments to the current law.
For the time being, the SEF is continuing awareness campaigns with clubs and sports associations, as well as with the Portuguese Football Federation – which created a platform in 2017 (integridade.fpf.pt). Another collaboration to keep is with the MH4-Saúde em Português project, which launched the anti-trafficking in football campaign last October “Don’t let your dream turn into a nightmare”.
Multiple cases, one trial and one acquittal
Sticks of Senhorim. In 2019, the MP charged the then president of Grupo Desportivo e Recreativo Canas de Senhorim (Nelas) with 14 crimes of aiding illegal immigration and human trafficking, two others in the attempted document forgery and one crime of document forgery. The 14 players/victims arrived in Portugal in 2016 and 2017 with a tourist visa and the promise of a contract worth €550 a month to play football.
Palmeiras F.C. This month, the Braga court proved that eight young Brazilian footballers were living “without any sanitary and safe conditions” in the facilities of Palmeiras Futebol Clube (Braga), but acquitted the only defendant in the trial – charged with eight crimes of aiding immigration illegal – for lack of evidence. The footballers arrived at the club between August and September 2018, but eventually left the country.
The Nazarenes. The case of Grupo Desportivo Os Nazarenos, from Leiria, involving 17 players, resulted in an accusation. The prosecution has charged the club, the president and two Brazilian businessmen with 15 crimes of human trafficking, two of them aggravating circumstances, and 17 crimes of aiding illegal immigration. No verdict has been reached yet.
snake. Last year, the DN denounced the case of the União Serpense Football Club (Serpa), where six cases of human trafficking were identified, after an anonymous complaint was filed with the GNR in Beja. The main target, Djalma Galhardi, was a sports director and denied all allegations. It is unknown if he was formally charged, as he had already left Serpense and was in Brazil at the time of the SEF’s investigation.
Sports watch FC. In February 2022, the SEF charged defendants of the Guarda Desportiva FC, as well as the president and four directors, with foreign nationalities, for indications of the crimes of aiding illegal immigration and forgery of documents. 34 of the 31 citizens with a foreign nationality were also identified.
Source: DN
