'IT WAS QUITE AN ORDEAL'

THE players of BT Football Academy were reunited with their families yesterday after Kaapse heroes pulled together to bring their nightmare Euro trip to an end.

Two flights from Portugal arrived at Cape Town International Airport, ending an almost week-long wait for return tickets home after participating at the Donosti Cup 2025 in San Sebastián, Spain.

An earlier group arrived on Tuesday night.

While they were scheduled to return home on 15 July, BT Football Academy founder Brandon Timmy only notified parents on 17 July that they would have to pay an extra R15 000 to get their kids home.

While Timmy and his wife returned to South Africa with their return tickets, the children were left behind in Europe, prompting concerns and confusion over how such a trip was allowed to proceed without proper travel documentation.

Local radio personality Tracy Lange stepped in to help. She contacted travel agent Melisha Moodley of Travel Direct, who in turn teamed up with Ceu Dia, another travel consultant.

Together, they launched a rescue mission to bring the children home through emergency fundraising and donations.

Angolan airline TAAG stepped up to offer discounted flight tickets to assist the stranded group.

In a generous gesture, Pastor Dane Mesane from Christ Culture Church in Paarden Eiland offered to cover the cost of the return flights.

Pastor Dane told IOL: “I’m excited to have the kids back.

“There is not much to say about it. It just needed to get done. We as a church are grateful to be part of it. It’s important to bring back the humanity in society without benefits or rewards.”

Dad Jonathan Williams, who was on tour as parental support, was there to welcome back the team after returning with his son when he saw dinge were getting deurmekaar.

He said things were poorly organised from the get-go, with the kids arriving in Spain on the day of the first game.

He explained: “It’s been quite an ordeal. We saw the early warning signs when they landed in Madrid, with organising not being that great.

“We were supposed to take a bus from Madrid to San Sebastian, but there was no bus.

“We needed to fork out some money that time already just to get them to the tournament.

“But by the end of the tournament, we knew something is not right here.

“That’s when my wife said let him [their son] fly back with you, which fortunately, we did.”

Reports claim that kwaad parents have filed complaints at police stations after forking out R50 000 for the trip, only to have their laaities left sonder geld.

In an interview with The Robert Marawa Show on 947, Timmy said he would pay the money back to the parents.