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The Documentary

Pity The Poor Soccer Stars

Pity the poor soccer stars

Duration: 23 minutes

First broadcast: on BBC World Service OnlineLatest broadcast: on BBC World Service Online

Available for over a year

Why do so many African football stars go from rags to riches - and back to rags again?

In this two part series, the BBC sport correspondent Farayi Mungazi travels to Zambia, South Africa and Ghana to find out.

Former player Stanley Tshabalala believes that in many ways, his generation of players were better off than the wealthy stars of today - despite earning very little money.

Are compulsory savings schemes or a retirement charge levied on tickets, the answer? We meet the former footballers who avoided disaster, and ask if their experiences could provide a lesson for today's youngsters. Or, is a new generation of African players doomed to risk penury?

(Image: Stanley Tshabalala) Show less

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