The Dark Side of Football: How Players Get Scammed and How To Avoid It

Imagine sacrificing everything for your football dream only to realise it was all built on lies.

Fake agents.
Bogus trials.
Clubs and academies that take your money with zero intention of ever helping you progress.

It is happening every single day. Almost nobody talks about it honestly.

So today, I am going to.

You will see:

• how players just like you are getting scammed

• the red flags you need to watch for

• what to look for instead so you do not become the next victim

And to make this clear, I am not speaking from theory.

I was one of those players.

My story, how I got scammed

Picture this.

A 17 year old Aussie playing NPL.
He is in the under 18s, performing well, but starting to realise the pathway up is blocked.

Most senior setups are built for:

• experienced players who can deliver results now

• short term performance

not for developing young players and giving them minutes.

So he starts looking for alternatives. He asks his dad for help. His dad asks a friend. That friend asks another friend.

Next thing you know, through a “guy who knows a guy”, this kid is on a one way flight to Spain to “chase the dream”.

He arrives overseas and slowly realises he has been completely stitched up.

No real connections.
No genuine pathway.
Just an older bloke running a random academy, happy to take his money and his parents’ money for an experience dressed up as an opportunity.

That player was me.

That was my reality nine years ago.

I promised myself back then that I would be the solution to that problem, not another part of it. That is how Elite Football was born.

How these scams usually work

I have done full breakdowns on the three biggest scams in football in another video, but here is the short version so you can recognise the patterns.

1. Fake or weak agents

These are people who:

• promise you trials

• talk a lot about “connections”

• but have no real access to clubs that can actually sign you

Even if you are good enough, it does not matter because there is no real pathway where they are sending you.

They are just selling:

• experiences

• tours

• training blocks

not genuine opportunities.

To show you how common this is, on a recent trip to Spain I met with two “agents” for coffee and dinner. These were people who, from the outside, looked legit.

Good Instagram.
Photos with players.
Decent image.

When I sat down and asked simple questions, it all fell apart.

One of them even gave me the number of a guy I already knew was a straight up scammer in the industry. He pretended he was “helping me enter the professional space”, while pointing me at someone the whole football world knows is dodgy.

The other turned up in a full suit to dinner, talking like a big businessman, but could not clearly explain:

• how he makes money

• what his players actually get

• which clubs he really works with

This is common. Many of these people:

• are broke

• have one or two weak connections

• live off one semi-pro player

• pretend to be bigger than they are

And they survive by selling hope to desperate players.

2. Pay-to-play academies overseas

There is no good reason for you to fly overseas just to train at an academy with no direct club pathway.

You will hear things like:

• “Train with me for two or three months, then I will send you to proper trials.”

If they really had those proper trials, they would send you there from day one.

Many of these “academies” are just money pits. You pay to:

• wear a nice kit

• train in decent facilities

• pretend you are close to the real thing

but there is no serious club structure behind it.

3. Licensed “brand” academies

Then you have the licensed badge trap.

Random examples like “Barca Academy” or “XYZ Royal Academy” that sound official, but in reality:

• they pay a club 10–20k a year to use the name

• the real club has little or nothing to do with training

• all the coaching is run by a separate local operator

So players and parents think they are getting “the real club experience”, but it is just a sticker on a shirt.

This happens across Europe. The logo is real. The pathway is not.

Big rule, no one can promise you anything

If you stop reading here, remember this.

Nobody can promise you a contract or scholarship.

Not me.
Not any other agent.
Not any academy.

If someone says:

• “Pay me X and I will get you a contract.”

• “Do this programme and I guarantee a scholarship.”

they are lying.

At best, a serious company can promise:

• direct access to real clubs

• honest feedback

• a clear process

That is it.

Most players get emotionally manipulated because they want it so badly. I was the same. You want to believe. So you buy hope.

And hope is very expensive when you are desperate.

Red flags to watch for

When you research agents, academies or “pathways”, keep these in the back of your mind.

1. No real club partners

If someone:

• hardly mentions clubs

• only posts random photos that look vague

• never shows who they actually work with

be cautious.

The reason I film content with real clubs is to prove we are on the ground with them. If an “agent” cannot even afford to fly over and take a photo with the people they claim to work with, that tells you a lot.

2. No track record of player signings

You want to see:

• players who actually signed

• clear stories of what happened

• not just generic hype

Everyone starts somewhere, yes. I had no signings in the early days and I made mistakes with my first clients. That is the truth.

But if there is zero track record and you are paying full price, you are probably going to be part of their learning curve.

3. Poor communication from the start

If before you pay:

• they are slow to reply

• avoid answering direct questions

• make you feel like you are an annoyance

it will only get worse after you have paid.

You should feel supported and clearly informed before money changes hands.

4. Buzzwords and short tours

Watch for phrases like:

• “pathway”

• “showcase”

• “opportunity”

• “5 day UK camp”

• “2 week European tour with scouts watching”

Nobody signs an amateur after a five day camp. Nobody makes a serious decision off a tourist style two week tour.

People still buy it, because it sounds exciting. But if you zoom in on:

• who is actually watching

• what happens after

• what club structure exists

you will often find there is nothing behind the curtain.

5. One person doing everything

Academy owner.
Agent.
Tour organiser.
Coach.

All in one.

This is the lowest barrier to entry in the football world. Pitch up a tent, call yourself an academy, add some tours, then start saying you are an agent.

If someone is trying to be everything at once, they are probably not excellent at any of it.

It is like going to a restaurant that sells sushi, kebabs and pizza all from the same kitchen. You already know none of it is going to be great.

You want:

• agents who focus on representation and pathways

• coaches who focus on coaching

• tour companies who focus on tours

Not one person pretending to do it all.

6. Overpriced “programmes” with stacked fluff

Be careful with:

• $50k training programmes

• hair tests for “genetic optimisation”

• endless add-ons that sound scientific but deliver nothing

People stack useless components into a package to justify a huge price because they cannot offer anything genuinely valuable, like real club access or signings.

Why are these scams so common?

A few reasons.

• There are far more players than there are quality, honest services.

• There is no global standard or system policing this properly.

• You do not need a real licence to start an “academy” or call yourself an “advisor”.

• Parents often have no idea what to look for and there is no simple blueprint.

Football is the most competitive industry in the world. Not just for players, but for everyone.

Building something real takes:

• years of groundwork

• relationships

• contracts

• systems

• a team

That is hard. Pretending is easy. So a lot of people choose the second option and hope nobody looks too closely.

What you should look for instead

Flip your perspective. Always ask:

“What is in it for them, and what are they actually built on?”

Look for:

• Public, documented club partnerships
  Not just logos, but photos, content, staff names, repeated work.

• A growing track record
  Not just one big name they cling to, but consistent progress over years.

• Clear role focus
  Agents who are full time agents. Coaches who are full time coaches.

• Long term support
  A plan, not just “I will flick you to this one club and forget you”.

• Honest expectations
  People willing to tell you what they cannot do, not just what they can.

And pay attention to how the business has grown over time. The good ones:

• keep levelling up

• expand their network

• get better at serving players each year

If you are putting ten years of your life into this journey, you want to put your eggs in a basket that is actually growing, not stuck.

Final word, ask the uncomfortable questions

At the end of the day:

• free help from the wrong person can cost you more than an expensive but honest service

• your time is more valuable than your money

• once wasted, you do not get those years back

So:

• order your options

• ask the hard questions

• do not be afraid to walk away if something feels off

If they cannot give you straight answers, you have your answer.

And whether you work with an agency like mine or you go out there on your own, the more informed you are, the harder you are to exploit.

You deserve a real shot, not a staged illusion.