A former BT Football Academy player has come forward with disturbing claims of neglect during an overseas tour nearly three years ago, Cape town Etc reports.
Shadley, a Cape Town footballer, was injured during a match in Spain while representing BT Academy and discovered he had no valid travel insurance cover at the time of the incident.
The injury, which affected both his tibia and fibula, required urgent medical attention. Shadley and his wife checked the travel insurance certificate and found that the coverage had expired before the team even departed. This was due to the tour dates being moved by the academy, but the travel insurance was never updated to reflect the change. None of the players were covered during the trip, and this was not communicated to them.
Shadley had to endure a painful journey home, flying from Madrid to Luanda, then to Johannesburg, and finally back to Cape Town. No effort was made by BT Academy to assist financially with the medical bills. The only assistance received was the booking of return flights with an extra seat to accommodate his leg.
Upon their return to South Africa, Shadley and his wife reached out to the academy for clarity but were met with vague responses and a refusal to explain why the insurance had not been updated. A promise was made by the academy to allow Shadley a fully paid return on the next tour, but when contacted again, they were informed that the academy had severed ties with their partners in Spain and that Shadley would now need to cover half the costs himself.