International Journal of Sub-Saharan African Research (IJSSAR)

Background: Football trafficking is a growing form of exploitation facing young Nigerian players, who are deceived by fraudulent agents promising trials, contracts and international mobility. Understanding victims’ lived experiences alongside the communication interventions of media professionals, advocacy groups, academy coaches, and football organisations is essential for effective prevention.
Objective: This study examined the lived experiences of football trafficking victims in Nigeria and the communication interventions deployed by stakeholders, together with the constraints that limit their implementation and sustainability.
Method: A descriptive phenomenological design was employed. Twenty-seven participants (21 male, 6 female) were purposively sampled: five victims, three organisational spokespersons, nine media professionals, five academy coaches and five advocacy members. In-depth interviews were analysed thematically using Braun and Clarke’s (2006) six-phase framework. Results: Poverty, limited education and aspirations for socioeconomic mobility increased vulnerability to deceptive recruitment, resulting in financial loss, exploitative contracts, poor living conditions and psychological trauma. Stakeholders used community outreach, seminars, workshops, interpersonal communication, social media and educational programmes, yet inadequate funding, personnel shortages, logistical barriers, low public awareness and weak inter-agency collaboration undermined effectiveness.
Conclusion: Football trafficking remains a serious threat to economically disadvantaged Nigerian youth. Existing communication interventions, though well-intentioned, are fragmented, under-resourced and insufficiently coordinated to counter sophisticated trafficking networks.
Unique Contribution: The study is the first in the Nigerian context to connect victims’ first-hand accounts with stakeholders’ reported interventions and constraints, bridging experiential and institutional perspectives.
Key Recommendation: Stakeholders should develop a coordinated, adequately funded, multi-agency communication strategy, anchored in schools, academies and digital platforms, that directly addresses the identified resource and coordination gaps.