Drogba warns young African players of fake agents turning their dreams into nightmares

Legendary Chelsea and Ivory Coast ace Didier Drogba has warned that many young African footballers face 'nightmares' after being pulled in into scamms by fake agents promising them successful careers in Europe and elsewhere.

A survey from Fifpro, the global players' union, has shown that a troubling amount of 56% players did not receive a trial they had been promised and 44% did not sign a contract they expected to sign.

Fifpro surveyed 263 male and female players, from Kenya, Botswana, Cameroon, DR Congo, Ghana, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Among its findings were that more than 70% of players had been contacted, unsolicited, by someone claiming they could help them move to another club. Of those, 36% had been approached via social media. In 78% of cases, the players indicated elements that the individual involved did not arrange properly.

"The dream ends up being a nightmare for these young people," Drogba said.

"You are being scammed, being fooled, it's a swindle. This issue has gone on far too long and the number of fake agents has multiplied. It's not only about football players: we're talking about the wellbeing of young men and women who dream of a successful career abroad."

The Fifpro Africa president, Geremi Njitap, a former teammate of Drogba at Chelsea, recounted his own experience of being taken on by 'a dishonest person' early in his career and arriving in Europe with no plans made.

"When Ivory Coast played at international level, right in front of our hotel we would see players from Ivory Coast, Cameroon or another country standing on the doorstep, left to their own devices with no money to make ends meet, homeless and forced to become beggars," Drogba said. "It’s only natural that parents and young players would dream of becoming wealthy stakeholders in this big global, wealthy game."