Soccer’s Lost Boys

As the World Cup kicked off this week in South Africa, Current TV aired the latest episode of Vanguard called “Soccer’s Lost Boys.” It’s a sobering piece of investigative journalism that digs into the dark side of the world’s most popular game. Moving from Ghana to Morocco to eventually Paris, Vanguard correspondent Mariana van Zeller details how predatory agents sell African teenagers on the hope of landing big contracts with elite European teams. The next thing they know, the young players find themselves destitute and stranded in an unfamiliar country, sometimes homeless and forced into prostitution, and meanwhile their families get fleeced of their life savings. It’s a grim reality taking place in the shadow of the sport’s showcase event. Runtime is 45 minutes.

Thanks to Rob for sending this along. We have added Current to our list of Intelligent Video Sites.