A football club playing in the fourth division of the Tunisian championship has suspended its activities after the illegal emigration of around 30 of its players to Europe, its president announced on Tuesday. Over the past three years, no less than 32 players from the amateur club of Ghardimaou have emigrated illegally to Europe, its president, Jamil Meftahi, told AFP.
“We stopped the activity and suspended matches 20 days ago,” he added. The official attributed this exodus to “a lack of financial resources” of the club and the players. “We cannot buy equipment, jerseys and sports shoes” and the players “do not benefit from financial subsidies”.
Players aged 17 to 22
According to him, most of the players, aged 17 to 22, reached Europe “either by sea or by going to Serbia (a country for which Tunisians did not need visas until recently, editor’s note ) and then illegally crossing borders into other countries”. The suspension of the club’s activities will continue “until we find a solution with the Tunisian Football Federation”, added the club president.
Ghardimaou is a border town with Algeria located in the northwest of the country, a marginalized area that relies heavily on agriculture. In recent years, the illegal emigration of Tunisian athletes has become increasingly frequent. In mid-February, the Avenir Sportif club in Rejiche announced that their replacement goalkeeper, Khalil Zaouli, a 19-year-old, had illegally emigrated to Italy, due to “the club’s financial difficulties”.
Thousands of immigrants
Tunisia, some portions of the coastline of which are less than 150 kilometers from the Italian island of Lampedusa, very regularly records attempts by migrants, mainly from sub-Saharan African countries, to leave for Italy. In recent years, faced with an economic and social situation that has further deteriorated since the coup a year and a half ago by President Kais Saied, thousands of Tunisians have also left the country illegally by sea.
According to the Italian Interior Ministry, more than 14,000 migrants have landed in Italy since the start of the year, compared to just over 5,300 during the same period last year and 4,300 in 2021.