47 victims of human trafficking released by police in Portugal

Five companies were indicted in connection with the operation “El Dourado“. RODRIGO ANTUNES/AI/Reuters/Panoramic

Forty-seven young footballers, including 36 minors, were rescued by Portuguese police in a dragnet launched on Monday against a human trafficking network linked to a training center in the north of Portugallearned AFP Thursday from the Foreigners and Borders Service (SEF).

The victims, men from countries in Africa, Asia and South America, were placed in institutions under the protection of the state“, we said from the same source.

Players will testify in front of a judge before returning to their home countries

Two Portuguese and five companies were indicted in connection with this operation, called “El Dourado“, during which several pports and residence permitswere seized.

According to local media, the victims were held captive in the premises of the Bsports football academy, in Riba d’Ave, near Vila Nova de Famalicao (north). Players will be required to testify before a judge before returning to their home countries.

One of the two indicted persons was identified by the media as Mario Costa, one of the officials of the Bsports academy and president of the general embly of the Portuguese football league, a post from which he resigned on Wednesday, saying not to have committed any illegality.

Illegal recruitment of footballers is “unacceptable and shocking“reacted the Secretary of State for Youth and Sports, Joao Paulo Correia, uring that the government would “take measuresto fight against this type of human trafficking.