People & Power - Slaves to football

It is known as the beautiful game and is probably the world's best loved and most watched sport.

Football is not just a sport but a multi-billion dollar industry that attracts hopeful players from all over the world.

In Africa, millions of young boys dream of escaping poverty by becoming professional football players.

Next summer, the World Cup will be staged in South Africa and more than ever the roving eye of football's insatiable talent scouts will be upon the continent.

For many impoverished families, the hope of transforming their sons into football superstars is akin to winning the lottery, and that hope is what makes them vulnerable.

Where there are dreams there are also people willing to exploit the dreamers.
 
All over Africa, scammers posing as football agents are duping the families of young men out of their savings for the promise of professional football careers in Europe and elsewhere.
 
The reality is far different, as many of these young men end up cast aside in foreign countries, without money or visas.
 
Orlando Von Einsiedel's report begins in Lagos, Nigeria.