Die laaste van die BT Football- akademie se sokkerspelers wat in Portugal gestrand was, sal na verwagting vandag in Kaapstad land. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Die internasionale toer \u2013 ‘n eerste vir baie van di\u00e9 jong spelers \u2013 het die afgelope week die nuus gehaal nadat dit aan die lig gekom het dat die toerorganiseerder en voorsitter van die akademie, Brandon Timmy, nie vliegtuigkaartjies vir die groep terug na Suid-Afrika bespreek het nie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Die hele eff\u00eare was uitputtend \u2013 geestelik, emosioneel, fisiek\u2009.\u2009.\u2009.\u2009 alles.”\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
S\u00f3 vertel Keeno Damons, ‘n Cloetesviller en BT Football-afrigter, die afgelope Dinsdag (22 Julie) uit Lisabon. Dit is hier waar Damons en die res van die toergroep gestrand was na afloop van die Donostibeker-kompetisie, wat van 7 tot 13 Julie in San Sebasti\u00e1n, Spanje, aangebied is.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
‘Probleme van die begin af’<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n “Die toer was uitmergelend en daar was probleme van die begin af. Dit was die derde toer wat ek saam met BT Football gedoen het en nou besef ek daar was baie haakplekke, maar ek het aanvanklik gevoel ek moet my werkgewer beskerm. Nou kan ek dit nie meer doen nie. Hy is nie ‘n slegte mens nie, maar ek weet nie of ek hom kan vergewe vir wat hy aan die kinders gedoen het nie,” s\u00ea Damons, wat sedert 2021 met BT Football verbonde is. Hy was eers as ‘n speler en later as voltydse afrigter betrokke.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n Die bom het verlede week gebars nadat Damons en sy mede-afrigters besef het Timmy het nie genoeg geld om vir die toergroep vliegtuigkaartjies terug huis toe te koop nie. Damons vertel ouers het hom reeds Saterdag 12 Julie gevra wanneer hul kinders huis toe sal keer en hy het geen reguit antwoord vir hulle gehad nie. ‘n Paar dae later het die afrigters besluit om oop kaarte te speel en te s\u00ea daar was geen vliegtuigkaartjies nie.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Ons het tot die heel laaste oomblik gewag om vir die kinders te s\u00ea wat die situasie was. Teen daardie tyd was hulle uitgeput en ons kon sien hulle wil net huis toe gaan, want van hulle is nog baie jonk \u2013 13 en 14 jaar\u2009.\u2009.\u2009.\u2009Van hulle het in trane uitgebars, maar ons fokus was om hulle so kalm as moontlik te hou en seker te maak ons het blyplek en iets om te eet.”\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n Damons s\u00ea daar was verskeie probleme toe die groep moes vertrek en uiteindelik het die spelers in twee groepe gegaan, met Damons wat met die grootste en laaste gereis het. Toe hy uiteindelik by die res van die span in Portugal aankom, het die afrigters besef daar is nie vervoer gere\u00ebl om in San Sebasti\u00e1n \u2013 meer as ses ure weg \u2013 te kom nie. Die afrigters het toe self vir vervoer opgedok. Damons s\u00ea volgens sy berekeninge het die afrigters saam sowat R100\u2009000 van hul eie geld vir die toer uitgegee, met veral die afrigter Jesse James Julius wat bygedra het. Volgens Damons was daar ook probleme met die betaal van verblyf, tot op die punt waar die groep uitgesit is nadat Timmy nie betaal het nie. Hy s\u00ea daar was ook nie vervoer tydens die toernooi nie en die kinders moes in die hitte van hul verblyf na die toernooi-stadion stap \u2013 dit terwyl Spanje tans deur ‘n hittegolf gaan.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n ‘n Waarskuwing aan ouers<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Vir ouers soos Mary-Anne van der Heever, die ouma van die 17-jarige Michael Dominee van Stellenbosch, was die swak organisering van die toer een te veel. “Daar was ouers op die [Whatsapp] groep wat siek daarvan was. Hoe kan jy so iets aan kinders doen? Al wat ons wou gehad het, is om ons kinders ‘n geleentheid te gee\u2009.\u2009.\u2009.\u2009Hoe kon [Timmy] s\u00ea daar was ‘n tekort aan geld nadat ons die R50\u2009000 vir die toer betaal het? En dan het sommige ouers, ons inkluis, nog R15\u2009000 betaal waarvoor hy gevra het toe hy s\u00ea daar was nie geld vir vliegtuigkaartjies nie?” wil sy weet.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n Van der Heever s\u00ea die toergroep en ouers het Timmy nooit ontmoet nie en dit het vir haar die rooiligte laat flikker. Sy meen indien enigiets goed uit die saga gekom het, is dat dit ‘n waarskuwing vir ander ouers moet wees.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n Haar dankbaarheid vir almal wat gehelp het om geld in te samel, ken geen perke nie. “Daar is so baie mense wat gehelp het \u2013 ek kan hulle nie eens almal noem nie. Ek moet egter vir Virgil Martin uitsonder \u2013 sy seun was onder die eerstes wat teruggekeer het, maar steeds het hy die res van ons bygestaan. Hy het werklik die leiding geneem.”\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n Timmy het aan Eikestadnuus ges\u00ea hy was nie direk betrokke met die geld- insameling om vliegkaartjies vir die gestrande span aan te skaf nie, maar hy neem volle verantwoordelikheid vir die skeefloop van die toer.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Dit het in die verlede gebeur dat ons vliegkaartjies vir spelers aangeskaf het en dan word hul visums nie goedgekeur nie. Ek het dus besluit om nie vroegtydig kaartjies te koop nie, maar omdat die kaartjies ‘n week voor hul vertrek gekoop is, was dit duurder as wat ek verwag het,” verduidelik Timmy.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hy s\u00ea die ho\u00eb pryse was ook hoekom hy nie retoerkaartjies kon koop nie. “Ons het alles gedoen om nog geld te kry om die groep te bring. My eie sak is plat soos ek vir die groep geld gestuur het vir kos en verblyf. Elke toer het uitdagings, maar die logistiek van hierdie toer was bo my vuurmaakplek. Die groep was te groot; dit was die eerste keer dat ‘n groep na Barcelona gereis het en die beplanning moes beter gewees het.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Die ouers s\u00ea hulle sal kyk hoe die pad vorentoe loop om Timmy en BT Football verantwoordbaar te hou, maar wil eers hul kinders in hul arms terugverwelkom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Die laaste van die BT Football- akademie se sokkerspelers wat in Portugal gestrand was, sal na verwagting vandag in Kaapstad land. Die internasionale toer \u2013 ‘n eerste vir baie van 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Die BT Football-akademie se o.14- en o.19-spanne asook meisiespan het goed gevaar by die Donostibeker-kompetisie in Spanje. 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Die publikasie Plainsman het Maandag berig dat 'n ouer 'n saak van bedrog\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/eikestadnuus\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/eikestadnuus\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/sokkertoerterug_44270.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/eikestadnuus\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/sokkertoerterug_44270.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/eikestadnuus\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/sokkertoerterug_44270.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/eikestadnuus\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/sokkertoerterug_44270.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/eikestadnuus\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/sokkertoerterug_44270.jpeg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":265707,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/eikestadnuus\/stellenbossers-deel-van-sokkerspan-gestrand-in-portugal\/","url_meta":{"origin":265984,"position":1},"title":"Stellenbossers deel van sokkerspan gestrand in Portugal","author":"Ya\u00ebl Malgas","date":"20 July 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"'n Sokker-toergroep met sokkerspelers van onder meer Stellenbosch, sukkel om terug na Suid-Afrika te keer.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/eikestadnuus\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/eikestadnuus\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Sokkertoer_87330-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/eikestadnuus\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Sokkertoer_87330-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/eikestadnuus\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Sokkertoer_87330-1.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/eikestadnuus\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Sokkertoer_87330-1.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/eikestadnuus\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Sokkertoer_87330-1.jpeg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]}],"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Eikestadnuus","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/eikestadnuus","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/eikestadnuus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/265984","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/eikestadnuus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/eikestadnuus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/eikestadnuus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/eikestadnuus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=265984"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/eikestadnuus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/265984\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/eikestadnuus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/265985"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/eikestadnuus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=265984"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/eikestadnuus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=265984"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/eikestadnuus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=265984"},{"taxonomy":"newspack_spnsrs_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/eikestadnuus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_spnsrs_tax?post=265984"},{"taxonomy":"publication","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/eikestadnuus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/publication?post=265984"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}