Online Reporter
Zimpapers Sports Hub
WOLVERHAMPTON Wanderers and Zimbabwe international midfielder Marshall Munetsi has sounded the alarm over fake football agents exploiting African players, calling the situation “more than a crisis.”
Speaking to former England goalkeeper Joe Hart on Footballers Unfiltered, a FIFPRO platform that gives players space to speak openly, Munetsi said scammers are taking advantage of young Africans desperate for a break in Europe.
“It’s more than a crisis [in Africa],” he said. “A person might create a social media account, come to Europe, watch a game, take a picture with a player, then put that picture on their profile and write they’re a football agent. A lot of people then end up paying money to that agent with promises of going to Europe.”
Munetsi, who joined Wolves this year from French Ligue 1 side Stade de Reims, said the deception isn’t limited to amateurs.
“I’m talking about guys who are playing for top teams in Africa that were also scammed. It’s a big problem that needs to get real attention,” he said.
He recalled an incident in France where three young players were left stranded after falling for such a scam.
“I had three guys who came to France when I was at Reims asking for accommodation because an agent had promised them some trials in Europe, and then they were just stuck at the airport when they got there. Nobody was there.”
Munetsi, now the Zimbabwe national team captain, said his own journey from the streets of Harare to the Premier League shows what’s possible with genuine support and guidance. But he warned that thousands of young players could see their dreams crushed by fraudulent intermediaries.
Now a mainstay in Wolves’ midfield and an influential voice off the pitch, Munetsi urged football bodies to strengthen regulations around player representation and to educate aspiring footballers about the dangers of fake agents.
“The system has to protect these young players,” he said. “They just want a chance, but some people are turning their dreams into a business.”
