Traffickers use soccer to trick boys

West African youths are being taken by crooked agents and dumped overseas

On the pitches of ramshackle soccer academies across West Africa, teenage boys chase one another in pursuit of the ball, the chance to impress, and the prospect of a lucrative contract with one of Europe's top teams.

But instead of embarking on a career at an elite club, many boys are abandoned by crooked agents after being taken abroad in exchange for thousands of dollars - often their family's savings.