Case opened after football parent claim misused funds

A case of fraud has been opened at the Grassy Park police station against the owner of BT Football.

The mother of one of the players, who asked to remain unnamed but is known to the Plainsman, has come forward, accusing him of misleading her about her son’s return flight and refusing to refund the money.

She said her son did not experience the trip after misplacing his passport at Dubai airport and never made it to Spain with the rest of the team. She also claims he assured her the flight was booked, but no ticket ever existed.

Initially, 38 people travelled to Spain to participate in the Donosti Cup. After the tournament ended, 10 returned home on their own, but the remaining 28—mostly children and three coaches—were left stranded without return flights, sparking widespread concern, (Online campaign secures flights for children stranded in Spain after football tour" Plainsman July 21, and "Stranded soccer players and coaches return home after emotional ordeal" Plainsman July 25)

According to the mother, the BT Football owner, Brandon Timmy, misled her. 

“He told me the flights had been paid for, but no booking was ever made, and he kept the money,” she said. She also claims he breached a contract and now questions whether the document was legally drafted or fabricated like the flight details.

Grassy Park police confirmed that a fraud case has been opened and is under investigation. 

Coach Jayvin Chisholm, who was formerly involved with the team, stated that all the coaches have now severed ties with BT Football. He confirmed the boy who lost his passport in Dubai was accompanied home by one of the coaches, who later returned to Spain to join the group.

“There are a lot of kids who still want to train with us. Only a handful of the players who went on the tour were from BT Football Academy,” he said.

He said BT Football operated under Belmont Spurs FC, a registered company run by Brandon. “They didn’t have their own league and were playing under the Stellenbosch district,” said Mr Chisholm.

He said many players and parents were given false hope. “They were sold a dream. It was made to seem like professional contracts were guaranteed after the tour, which simply wasn’t true. Right now, we’re just focusing on recovery from this.”

South African Football Association (SAFA) Cape Town president Bennett Bailey confirmed the matter is being investigated.

SAFA is the governing body of football in South Africa, while FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) oversees global football rules, compliance, and tournaments.

“We need to get to the bottom of who officially went on this trip—if it was Belmont Spurs, then there are regulations they may have violated. If it was BT, it’s even more serious, as they aren’t authorized to participate in FIFA-sanctioned tournaments,” said Mr Bailey.

He urged parents to be realistic and informed. “You must have honest conversations with your children about their chances in football. Check with SAFA before committing. We’re here to guide you.”

One of the players, Aalia Coetzee, 18, from Rocklands, who plays for Norway Park FC in Maitland, said, “At first, Brandon seemed professional. Yet what happened was unbelievable. But the coaches looked after us, gave us food, a place to sleep, and kept our spirits up. I was so happy to see my family again on Thursday, July 24.”

Ozayah Greckwa, 18, from Heideveld, said: “The senior players stepped up and helped the younger ones. I’m no longer with BT Football, but I’ll continue playing. This experience was good and bad.”

His mother, Cindy Theunissen, said she’s relieved her son is home and willing to support others who may want to take legal action.

When the group arrived at Cape Town International Airport on Thursday July 24, families were emotional—hugging, crying, and holding signs.

The return was made possible by a large-scale online fundraising campaign, led by Avukile Mabombo, Tracey Lange, Pastor Dane Mesane and his wife Tersia, Melisha Moodley from Travel Direct, TAAG Airlines, and many more.

“Tracey saw the post and raised the alarm,” said Mr Mabombo. “We weren’t the organizers, just a vessel to bring the right people together. The real work was done by the community. People gave what they could—some didn’t have money but still found ways to help. This proved the power of unity in a time of crisis.”

Brandon Timmy still did not respond at the time of publication.