Latest news with #TraceyLange
IOL News
9 hours ago
- Sport
- IOL News
Mackenzie slams BT Academy owner as stranded kids are all set to return home
Several parents were forced to scramble for funds to bring their children back, as safety concerns mounted. The team was scheduled to return to South Africa on July 16, but chaos erupted when it was discovered that they had no tickets to get home. A group of young players from the Kraaifontein-based academy in Cape Town had travelled to Spain to participate in the Donostia Cup International Tournament. Each child's trip reportedly cost close to R50,000 to cover all the costs. Western Cape MEC for Sports, Arts and Culture Ricardo Mackenzie says the remaining BT Football Academy players stranded overseas are expected to arrive back in South Africa by Thursday afternoon. Mackenzie, speaking amid nationwide outrage over the situation, confirmed that the provincial government has begun reviewing the legal standing and operational compliance of the academy. He also revealed that he has been in direct contact with the owner of BT Academy, Brandon Timmy, and believes Timmy has not been honest throughout the ordeal. 'The kids should be back home by 3pm tomorrow. We are now going through all the documentation and communication,' Mackenzie told eNCA. 'I myself have been speaking to the owner since Monday morning and I have since gone through to have a consultation with the premier because he has not given us truthful information since then. 'Every hour he says that he is waiting for a loan, and by the time I left for Portugal nothing was done by him. 'He keeps on giving people the runaround, and I spoke to the coaches on the ground who gave me firsthand information that helped inform my decision to go there.' Popular local media personality Tracey Lange, through her initiative Tracey Lange Cares, has played a key role in rallying community support and raising funds to assist in bringing the remaining players home. Mackenzie acknowledged that Lange's intervention has been critical. 'Even on Tuesday he told me he had paid for the accommodation, but even that was not true because it was paid for by the Tracey Lange people,' Mackenzie added. The MEC further revealed this was not the first time such a situation had occurred with the BT Academy. A similar incident reportedly took place during a previous trip to Dubai, raising further concerns about the academy's operations. 'Speaking to the coaches, they informed me that this is not the first time this has happened — they were once stuck in Dubai with the very same company. We will be sure to take action and ensure accountability, but right now it's just about ensuring that the kids get home safe.' Mackenzie said this incident has exposed significant gaps in oversight and that the government will tighten regulations around such tours moving forward, particularly when they involve minors traveling abroad. 'This was not a sanctioned tour by anybody. 'Going forward as a country we need to decide how we deal with these things. What is the country's policy on dealing with unsanctioned tours? We want kids to gain international experience, but they cannot go overseas without formal federation commitment.' In other reports, South African Football Association (Safa) Cape Town president, Bennet Bailey was quoted saying a full investigation will be launched against BET Academy, which is said to be not registered with Safa.
Time Out
17 hours ago
- Time Out
Nothing but love: Tracey Lange on rallying behind stranded soccer tour
For radio personality Tracey Lange, having access to a platform and using it for good was a no-brainer when it came to a group of teens stranded overseas. What was meant to be the trip of a lifetime turned into a harrowing ordeal for this group of aspiring soccer players when travel planning a football tour to Spain went wrong. After competing in the Donosti Cup, more than two dozen players from Cape Town-based BT Football Academy found themselves stranded in Portugal, with no flights home. Parents, who had paid an estimated R50k for the trip, were left in shock as return flights failed to materialise — reportedly due to visa delays and inflated travel costs. As panic set in, Cape Town rallied. Enter radio personality Tracey Lange, who spotted a post on the Coloured Girls Rock Facebook page and jumped into action. She helped launch a public fundraising campaign that would ultimately become a lifeline. She joined forces with pastors Dane and Tersia Mesane of Christ Culture Church, whose compassion and leadership played a vital role in reuniting the children with their families. "I saw the post on Coloured Girls Rock page on Facebook and that to me was proof that this was legit. We got hold of someone who could assist with the contact details of one of the coaches. We wanted all information before going live on social media so that all questions could be answered. Avukile got onto the parents' WhatsApp group to make sure he had all the info from the parents,' recalls Tracey. "The response was immense from the get-go with someone suggesting that if just 1000 people donate R50 it would make everything possible,' she says. And just like that – within 24 hours – hope turned into action. It was confirmed: the children were finally on their way back home. The first group of boys are expected to arrive back in the Mother City this afternoon. Behind-the-scenes acts of kindness Further offers of assistance and posts celebrating Tracey's efforts are being shared far and wide, with some real homegrown flavour. One "aunty" has promised Gatsby sandwiches for the whole squad on arrival. "People have shown us just how good the world can be," adds Tracey. According to reports, the academy cited late visa appointments, last-minute flight costs, and a lack of funds as reasons for the failure. As a result, the group was moved by bus to Lisbon, Portugal, in search of cheaper flights, where they remained stuck without confirmed travel arrangements. View this post on Instagram A post shared by BT Football (@btfootball_sa) The ordeal serves as a stark reminder of the importance of proper travel planning, timely visa applications and documentation, along with the necessary travel insurance - all essential safeguards to prevent young travellers from being left stranded far from home.
eNCA
21 hours ago
- Sport
- eNCA
Stranded footballers preparing to return home
CAPE TOWN - Twenty-five young Cape Town footballers are finally preparing to return home after being stranded in Europe. They had been competing for the Donosti Cup in Spain earlier this month. But, as they prepared to fly home, they discovered no return flights had been booked for them. Now, with help from DIRCO, Western Cape Sport, and a fundraising effort from Radio and TV personality Tracey Lange, they have all received tickets. The first group is scheduled to land on Wednesday afternoon as SAFA red-cards the BT Football Academy that organised the trip.
Daily Maverick
2 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Maverick
Stranded soccer players and coaches on their way home thanks to local support
A radio personality and a church have helped to bring the junior players home after being left stranded in Europe by their academy. The 22 stranded junior South African soccer players in Lisbon, Portugal, along with three coaches, will be transported back to South Africa after fundraising and private sponsorship secured their imminent return. Radio personality Tracey Lange, through her Tracey Lange Cares initiative, raised the money to secure return flights for the 28 South Africans. The players were meant to return to South Africa but their soccer academy that sent them, BT Football Academy, failed to buy return-flight tickets, with CEO and founder Brandon Timmy excusing the price of the return flights at the time of purchase as the reason for the ordeal. BT Football Academy had two squads, an under-14 and under-19 team, taking part in the age-group Donosti Cup tournament in Spain, and flew a squad of 35 players and four coaches to the country. Only 10 players and one coach returned last week – after an additional R15,000 was paid by the parents of the young athletes, above the R50,000 initial payment for the trip, while the other 25 athletes and three coaches trekked to neighbouring Portugal by bus. 'We can confirm that we have managed to raise the funds to pay for all 28 flight tickets and with the assistance of TAAG [Airlines] have managed to secure seats on flights within the next few days,' Lange, who has been using her online platform to raise funds, said. 'Everyone will be home by the end of the week.' Church steps in The Christ Culture Church noted that it had covered nearly all the costs of the 28 stranded South Africans through Tracey Lange Cares. 'As the major sponsor, we covered approximately 95% of the total flight costs,' it said. 'At the time of payment, R54,000 had been received through public financial donations, and many more contributions – financial and in-kind – have continued to come in since. 'This is more than a rescue – it is a testimony of what can happen when a nation chooses unity over division, action over apathy, and love over fear.' According to its statement, TAAG Airlines reduced the cost of the flight, which had been the biggest hindrance in Timmy's failure to buy the return-flights.
IOL News
2 days ago
- IOL News
How a radio host, her husband, and a Facebook page admin banded together to bring stranded soccer stars home from Spain
A group of children from Cape Town saw their dream turn into a nightmare after being stranded in Spain following a soccer tour. Image: Supplied Thanks to the outpouring of help from South Africans, young aspiring soccer stars from the Cape Flats and three coaches who were left stranded in Spain are set to return home this week. The 25 children, aged between 13 and 18, participated in the Donosti Cup 2025 in San Sebastián, Spain. They are part of BT Football - a Cape Town-based academy. The team was set to return home on July 15, 2025. However, their return tickets were unavailable. According to the Cape Argus, no return tickets were booked. BT Football Academy owner Brandon Timmy requested that the group travel by bus to neighbouring Portugal, which would allow him to secure more affordable flights back to Cape Town Claims were further made that return tickets were never booked. After a nightmare ordeal, coaches in Lisbon reached out to parents and social media for assistance. They were stuck in a foreign country, with no food, accommodation, or flights to return home. But, the golden hearts of a local radio host, her husband, and an admin on a popular Facebook page made the impossible possible. KFM radio host Tracey Lange, her husband Avukile Mabombo, through the Tracey Lange Cares initiative, were the ones who immediately jumped into action when the news came out about the stranded children. Shantelle Engelbrecht, from Johannesburg, an admin of the popular Facebook page Coloured Girls Rock, also stepped in. KFM radio presenter and media personality Tracey Lange and her husband Avukile Mabombo made it their mission to bring back the stranded group from Spain. Image: Facebook/Tracey Lange Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ Engelbrecht is known for assisting those in need and using social media to change the lives of those who need it most. The trio, who never met before, banded together with one goal in sight: bringing back the children and coaches. Lange and Engelbrecht kept social media users updated with their blow-by-blow posts on how far things are progressing. Their posts saw donations flood in from all over as normal South Africans dug deep in their pockets to give anything they could to assist with food, accommodation, and flight costs. Shantelle Engelbrecht, admin of the Coloured Girls Rock page ensured that this group would return home safely. Image: Supplied By Tuesday morning, it has been confirmed that the group will be returning home to South Africa on Wednesday and Thursday. 'We can confirm that we have managed to raise the funds to pay for all 28 flight tickets and with the assistance of TAAG have managed to secure seats on flights within the next few days. Everyone will be home by the end of the week. Thank you to everyone that has assisted in making this possible. I will be sharing more details at a later stage to also share a special thanks to everybody,' Lange said. Lange also confirmed that locals in Lisbon also reached out to assist the stranded group. Speaking to IOL, Engelbrecht said they had initially managed to book flights bit by bit, however, a travel agent, named Mel, had managed to get flight discounts from R28,000 to R18,500 per person. 'A group of kind people in Portugal, some South Africans, some friends and family of South Africans, and some absolute strangers are helping with food for the group on that side,' she said. The statement released by the football academy. Image: Supplied Engelbrecht said the donations from South Africans, albeit small amounts all contributed to the end goal. 'One lady walked to the ATM to deposit money. People sent proof of payments. It all eventually added up,' she said. The stranded coaches, who used money out of their own pockets, will also be receiving some assistance. Engelbrecht reached out to major retailer Pick n Pay to assist coaches who had to bear the brunt of feeding the group in Euros. 'When I spoke to Pick n Pay, just to say please when the coaches come back, can we sort them out with groceries since they used their own money to help with the children? I was an immediate yes,' she said. Now, knowing they will be home soon, the group will be shown around Portugal by locals who contacted the trio, stating they wanted to change their horrible experience and have them leave with great memories. 'They are hosting the team today, showing them the sites and letting them experience some of the lekker food Portugal is known for. Again, ordinary people. Those are the heroes,' Engelbrecht said. She said this was never about clout, but about pure humanity to those in distress. 'This is not about the shine. The thing for us was, let's just get these children home,' Engelbrecht said. In a statement released on Sunday, July 20, 2025, BT Football released a statement citing delayed visa appointments as the reason it failed to book return flights in time. "Prior to departure, all essential elements of the tour, including accommodation, food, tournament registration, and other logistical requirements, were paid and secured. Our team was excited and well-prepared to represent South Africa in the prestigious Donosti Cup. Unfortunately, our preparations were significantly impacted by delays in securing visa appointment slots. Despite our early attempts to begin the visa process, we were only granted appointments much later than planned. As a result, visas were received merely a week before the intended departure. This created immense pressure on our team to secure flights within an extremely short timeframe," the statement read. It further stated costs of return flights were unaffordable. "The cost of return flights so close to the departure date proved unaffordable. The boys and girls successfully participated in the Donosti Cup tournament. However, upon conclusion of the tournament, the return flight prices remained prohibitively high, and we were still unable to secure tickets home." They also claimed they were working around the clock to bring the group home. IOL
