Families ready to welcome home some of the BT Football Academy players who were stranded in Portugal
Carlo Petersen
23 July 2025 | 12:34Two of the 28 young football players, and one of the coaches, who were stuck in Portugal after a botched football tour are expected to land at the Cape Town International Airport on Wednesday afternoon.

Parents of the young BT Football players waiting for the first group of players to arrive at the Cape Town International Airport on 23 July 2025. Picture: Cailyn Pretorius/EWN
CAPE TOWN - Two of the 28 young football players, and one of the coaches, who were stuck in Portugal after a botched football tour are expected to land at the Cape Town International Airport on Wednesday afternoon.
Thirty-four young footballers and four coaches flew to Spain earlier in July for a football tournament arranged by BT Football Academy.
The academy failed to book return flights despite participants paying R55,000 each for the trip.
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Some of the families of the two young footballers were at the international arrivals gate to welcome them back from their ordeal.
Nine players and one coach returned to Cape Town safely on Saturday, while the rest of the players and coaches are set to return home on Wednesday and Thursday.
After being transported from Spain to Portugal, enough money was raised through public donations to bring all the players and coaches back to Cape Town.
The 25 players, who are from areas across Cape Town, will be split into three groups, with one coach for each trip.
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