Vanguard | June 03, 2010 | 19 comments

Soccer's Lost Boys: Vanguard Trailer

MarianaVanZeller

watch more vanguard

As South Africa hosts the 2010 World Cup, the focus will be on many of the continent's brightest stars in soccer, including Chelsea's Didier Drogba and Inter Milan's Samuel Eto'o. In "Soccer's Lost Boys," correspondent Mariana van Zeller explores the dark side to the sport's global popularity, what has been called "the new slave trade."

The demand for young West African players in professional European soccer leagues has skyrocketed--and so has the number of unlicensed agents, illegitimate soccer academies, and shady middlemen looking to exploit these players. For a very small percentage of these West African youngsters, their dreams of playing professionally in Europe come true. The rest face a litany of horrors: deadly Mediterranean crossings, broken promises, vanishing agents, brutal living conditions, and families torn apart. It's estimated that 20,000 young African soccer players are now stranded in Europe. Many more never even make it that far and remain stuck in transit in port towns across Africa.

"Soccer's Lost Boys" airs Wednesday, June 16 at 10/9c. For more, go to http://current.com/vanguard.

"Vanguard," airing weekly on Current TV Wednesdays at 10/9c, is a no-limits documentary series whose award-winning correspondents put themselves in extraordinary situations to immerse viewers in global issues that have a large social significance. Unlike sound-bite driven reporting, the show's correspondents, Adam Yamaguchi, Kaj Larsen, Christof Putzel and Mariana van Zeller, serve as trusted guides who take viewers on in-depth real life adventures in pursuit of some of the world's most important stories.
  1. groups:
    Current Video,   Best of TV US,   World Cup,   Vanguard,   6 more
  2. tags:
    Sports,  Africa,  Football,  England,  59 more
  3. credits:
    MarianaVanZeller Producer, MarianaVanZeller Correspondent, alexward Editor, more
  4.     
    |
    Embed video:
    |

19 comments // Soccer's Lost Boys: Vanguard Trailer // Video

  • Jmunger
    • 0
      Jmunger  

    • I brought five boys from Right to Dream to Dunn School in California. They have gone on to college and two on to MLS. They transformed our school community with their courage, commitment and humor. I hope they are a beginning of a solution.

    • 3 months ago
  • debfitz33
  • Jaxon2013
    • 0
      Jaxon2013  

    • Where can i find more information on this? I keep searching but all i can find are people who want to sell me world cup items. I'm doing a research paper on this and i'd like to obtain some links or other information regarding these boys and the troubles they go through rather quickly.
      Thanks.

    • 1 year ago
  • shunice85
    • 0
      shunice85  
    • Jaxon2013:

      Try searching for the foundation that is helping with this social issue. I cannot remember the name of the foundation mentioned in the documentary. If you watch the documentary again you may be able to find the name of it.

      The name of the foundation is: Foot Solidaire

      They may can help with alot of your questions.

    • 10 months ago
  • Jose_Lopes
  • lesfaiza
  • Cecil_James
    • +1
      Cecil_James  

    • I am so proud of my African ancestry and the role it has played in my life and to many thousands in the diaspora who feel the same way as I do

    • 1 year ago
  • Jamaecd
    • +1
      Jamaecd  

    • Thank you VANGUARD. This exposure is a necessary first step. Now it is up to all of us to spread the word about this terrible odyssey into homelessness, prostitution, and suffering that is the ultimate fate for the majority of these innocent young men. This was a really heartbreaking documentary to watch.

    • 1 year ago
  • Lisa_Lax
  • csyounts
    • +3
      csyounts  

    • Mariana,
      Thank you for this show documenting the shocking stories of these lost African children. With VANGUARD's continued objective, straightforward & fearless stories exposing the worldwide abuse and exploitation of these and other young people the world over, we can affect change and begin restoring compassion, hope and humanity to the suffering and hopeless that America so often forgets. I watch VANGUARD faithfully, but I've never cried such tears before. These lost boys of West Africa deserve hope and dignity and a future filled with goodness. Now knowing their plight, I am committed to helping spread awareness of this problem so that these boys and tose who may follow them might have a chance in life.

    • 1 year ago
  • katharinekov
  • EternityAwaits
  • Apop_Harris
  • Stephen_Dolle
  • antwonlee
    • +3
      antwonlee  

    • I am anticipating to watch this. I have been researching a lot regards to human trafficking past few years, and this is very intriguing—especially when the world cup is held in South Africa.

    • 1 year ago
  • wonder_beyond

top videos