Young West African soccer players dream of going pro--but those dreams quickly become nightmares as they fall prey to the growing number of unlicensed agents, illegitimate soccer academies and shady middlemen looking to exploit them. Correspondent Mariana van Zeller investigates this "new slave trade," as some 20,000 African soccer hopefuls find themselves stranded in Europe with no way home. Some of these trafficked players are forced underground, playing in black market games in last-ditch efforts to get noticed by agents and managers. Thousands more athletes never make it as far as the shores of Europe, stuck in African port towns with little hope and even fewer options.
- HD only
Nominated for Best Sports Journalism, Sports Emmy Awards 2011