Moroccan Footballers Stranded in UAE After Alleged Academy Scam

In a statement to Alyaoum24, the young athletes, who came from all corners of the kingdom, said they had been "victims of a fraud. We had to pay between 10 to 20,000 dirhams to come and play football in the United Arab Emirates".

The living conditions are deplorable, continue the victims. "Instead of a football academy, we found ourselves in a residence in the middle of the desert, without food. We are entitled to one and a half eggs and a piece of bread per day".

Questioned about the case, the sports agent who supervised the transfer operation, said that "the 23 players were to take an exam to join an Emirati club. The transfer fees, estimated between 15 and 20,000 dirhams, included the price of the ticket and the visa, in addition to the registration fee set at 400 dirhams for the first group and 700 for the others".

To justify the disappointment, Bilal Guennoun explains: "I do not deny that the menus were not up to par and that the living conditions were very difficult. I was in constant contact with the president of the academy, and unfortunately, only one candidate had managed to get a contract with the Al Sharjah club. The others will have to return to the country before the expiration of the visa".