Many young football stars around the world have fallen victim to fake football agents who promise them career growth abroad, Soccernet.ng reports.

Nigerian youngster Moses Yamlak Jerry is the latest victim of such a scam, and his ordeal took a violent turn in Serbia.

Jerry shared a harrowing video on social media, revealing his swollen face and bloodied lips as evidence of a brutal assault by a Serbian man who had lured him to the country with false promises of a professional football career.

What Happened?
Moses disclosed that the fake agent had been extorting $1,500 monthly from his sponsor, assuring him that he would secure a contract with a football club upon his arrival in Serbia.

“I came into contact with a fake agent in Serbia. The agent has been collecting a lot of money from my sponsor—$1,500 every month. He promised that when I come over, I will go to a club and sign a contract,” Moses said in the video.

However, the agent knew that Jerry, being underage, was ineligible to sign a professional contract. The agent’s repeated demands eventually led Jerry’s sponsor to withdraw from the agreement, leaving the player stranded in Serbia.

After Jerry asked the agent to arrange a ticket back to Nigeria, tensions escalated, resulting in a violent altercation.

“I told him if there was a way to get a ticket back home, I would be grateful. The man said he didn’t have money for a ticket and that I should listen to him because he’s a good person. Later, he got angry and used a fork to stab my lip and smashed a chair on my head,” Jerry recounted.

Drogba’s Warning

Former Ivorian international Didier Drogba has previously warned young African talents to be cautious of fake agents. Speaking to Soccernet.ng, Drogba emphasised that aspiring players should focus on their on-field performance to attract genuine opportunities.

“Your best agent is not the guy you trust. The best agent you can have is yourself and your performance. This never lies,” Drogba said.

He added: “Exceptional performance attracts clubs’ attention. Many young players think an agent will find them a club, but that’s not how it works. Perform first, and if an agent approaches you, ensure they are listed on FIFA’s agent directory.”

NFF Intervenes
The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has stepped in to assist Moses Jerry. The young player is no longer in contact with the fraudulent agent, identified as Ivan Trajkovic, a Slovenian with a Serbian passport.

According to reports, the Nigerian football body has relocated Moses to a safe location while addressing the situation.

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Super Eagles coach Augustine Eguavoen and captain William Troost-Ekong did not vote Ademola Lookman in their top three picks for the FIFA POTY Award, Soccernet.ng reports.

Lookman won the CAF Player of the Year on Monday. But just a day later, he was snubbed at the FIFA Awards, as he didn’t not get a single vote.

Real Madrid star Vinicius Jnr emerged as the winner, while Manchester City star Rodri, who won the Ballon d’Or emerged second. English midfielder Jude Bellingham was third.

The FIFA Awards are always decided by votes from players, coaches, and journalists from all FIFA associated federations. All the voters are allowed to pick just three of the nominees, with specific points awarded to the first, second, and third picks.

Interestingly, even though Nigeria had three representatives －Eguavoen, Troost-Ekong, and a top journalist Oluwashina Okeleji, Lookman did not get a single vote.

Coach Eguavoen voted Lionel Messi in first position, Vinicius Jnr. second, and Rodri third. Troost-Ekong voted Bellingham first, Vinicius Jnr second, and Rodri third. Then, Oluwashina voted Vinicius Jnr. first, Rodri second, and Bellingham third.

Everyone that was named in the top eleven got votes from their countries. Nonetheless, Lookman would still be happy, as he won the CAF Player of the Year award on Monday.

The Atalanta star will look to continue with his impressive performances and get more nominations for top Awards.

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The Confederation of African Football have announced the draw for the 2025 AFCON finals will be held on January 27 in Rabat, Morocco.

The draw dates were announced following a CAF executive committee meeting held yesterday in the North African country.

The meeting was followed by a gathering of the 54 CAF member associations to discuss the development of football in Africa, including strengthening partnerships with governments, FIFA, other confederations, and the private sector. CAF president Patrice Motsepe revealed the opening match of the 2025 AFCON finals will be played on December 21, 2025, and the final on January 18, 2026.

The qualifiers for the AFCON tournament were concluded last month with 24 countries securing qualification for the tournament.

Zimbabwe qualified for the AFCON finals last month as runners-up of Group J of the qualifiers, won by Cameroon.

The Warriors will be making a sixth appearance at the tournament, having missed the previous edition due to a FIFA suspension.

However, the Warriors will be among the unseeded teams due to their low ranking. Zimbabwe are currently ranked 121 in the world, having dropped four places last month.

Along with neighbours Botswana, they are currently the two least ranked teams among the 24 nations that qualified for the 2025 AFCON finals.

The next rankings will be released on Thursday this week. The CAF committee also outlined schedules for key youth and women’s football tournaments, including the Under-17 Africa Cup of Nations, which will be hosted by Morocco in March-April 2025, and the Under-20 edition set for Cote d’Ivoire in April-May. Other major competitions in the packed calendar, including the CAF Champions League and Confederation Cup, also had their final match dates confirmed, with decisive games planned for May and June 2025.

CAF Key dates:

U17 Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025: The opening match will be played on Sunday, 30 March 2025; the final match will be played on Saturday, 19 April 2025.

U20 Africa Cup of Nations Cote d’Ivoire 2025 – The opening match will be played on Saturday, 26 April 2025; the final match will be played on Sunday, 18 May 2025.

CAF Confederation Cup 2024-25: Final, First Leg will be played Saturday, 17 May 2025; Final, Second Leg will be played Sunday, 25 May 2025

CAF Champions League 2024-25: Final, First Leg will be played Saturday, 24 May 2025; Final, Second Leg will be played Sunday, 1 June 2025

CAF Women’s Champions League 2025: The opening match will be played on Saturday, 8 November 2025; the final match will be played on Sunday, 23 November 2025.

Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025: The opening match will be played on Sunday, 21 December 2025; the final match will be played on Sunday, 18 January 2026.

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