Online Reporter
Zimpapers Sports Hub
ZIMBABWE Warriors captain and Wolverhampton Wanderers midfield ace Marshall Munetsi has lifted the lid on a fast-growing scam that’s crushing the dreams of African footballers — fake agents promising Europe but delivering heartbreak.
Speaking to ex-England keeper Joe Hart on Footballers Unfiltered, a FIFPRO platform where players tell it like it is, Munetsi described the situation as “more than a crisis.”
“It’s crazy out there,” he said. “Someone just opens a social media page, takes a photo with a real player, writes ‘football agent’ on their profile, and suddenly they’re scamming kids out of thousands of dollars. Players believe they’re going to Europe, but they’re going nowhere.”
Munetsi, who joined Wolves this year after shining in France with Stade de Reims, said even top local talents have been caught in the web of deceit.
“I know players from big African clubs who got conned. It’s not just unknown kids, this thing is everywhere,” he said.
He shared one chilling encounter from his time in France.
“Three young guys came all the way from Africa after being told they’d get trials. When they landed, there was no one to meet them. They were stranded at the airport with nowhere to go.”
Munetsi, who rose from Harare’s dusty pitches to the English Premier League, said his story proves that real success takes patience, guidance, and hard work, not shortcuts sold by scammers.
“These fake agents are turning dreams into business deals,” he warned. “The system needs to protect players. Young footballers just want a chance, but some people are turning their hope into heartbreak.”
Now one of Zimbabwe’s most respected exports, Munetsi is calling on football authorities to tighten rules around agents and educate aspiring players before more futures are lost to the con game.
