Ex-player claims BT Academy left him stranded after injury

A former BT Football Academy player has come forward with disturbing claims of neglect during an overseas tour nearly three years ago, Cape {town} Etc reports.

Shadley, a Cape Town footballer, was injured during a match in Spain while representing BT Academy and discovered he had no valid travel insurance cover at the time of the incident.

The injury, which affected both his tibia and fibula, required urgent medical attention. Shadley and his wife checked the travel insurance certificate and found that the coverage had expired before the team even departed. This was due to the tour dates being moved by the academy, but the travel insurance was never updated to reflect the change. None of the players were covered during the trip, and this was not communicated to them.

Shadley had to endure a painful journey home, flying from Madrid to Luanda, then to Johannesburg, and finally back to Cape Town. No effort was made by BT Academy to assist financially with the medical bills. The only assistance received was the booking of return flights with an extra seat to accommodate his leg.

Upon their return to South Africa, Shadley and his wife reached out to the academy for clarity but were met with vague responses and a refusal to explain why the insurance had not been updated. A promise was made by the academy to allow Shadley a fully paid return on the next tour, but when contacted again, they were informed that the academy had severed ties with their partners in Spain and that Shadley would now need to cover half the costs himself.

Later, the academy advised Shadley against participating in future tours, stating that footage from the previous trip showed a performance they were not satisfied with.

This personal account adds to the controversy surrounding BT Football Academy, which recently came under fire for leaving a group of boys and girls’ soccer players stranded in Spain following the Donosti Cup. Families who had paid for an all-inclusive tour were shocked to discover that return flights had not been booked. That incident led to national outrage and investigations by local authorities.

As a result of mounting criticism, BT Academy has since permanently closed its doors.

First published by Cape {town} etc

Compiled by Aiden Daries

Also see: BT Football Academy coaches resign after being abandoned in Portugal