HIBAPRESS
A 17-year-old Moroccan minor traveled over 100 kilometers as a stowaway underneath the bus of the Real Valladolid football team, coming from occupied Ceuta. The young man hid beneath the bus's wheel axle before asking for help during a rest stop. The team members provided him with food, water, and clothing until the Spanish Civil Guard arrived.
The young Moroccan reached the Iberian Peninsula from occupied Ceuta, hidden underneath the bus of Real Valladolid, a team in the Spanish Second Division, which was returning from a match played in the North African city. The club confirmed the incident to Agence France-Presse (AFP) on Monday, September 21st.
According to media outlets, including the EFE agency, the young man managed to sneak into the rear axle of the official bus before it left the occupied city. The minor remained in a very dangerous position throughout the journey, from crossing the Strait of Gibraltar on the ferry to the road in the Andalusia region.
According to the newspaper "El País," the young man deliberately made noise to seek rescue, as he was at risk of falling onto the road. A witness reported that some of the team's players heard screams and thudding sounds coming from underneath the bus on Sunday evening. They asked for silence, but the sounds intensified.
The bus stopped at a rest area about an hour and a half after leaving the port of Algeciras, according to the witness. The Moroccan young man then emerged from the rear axle of the bus, having clung to it for a long distance in a state of extreme exhaustion.
The 17-year-old minor stated that he wished to be transferred to the minors' detention center in Algeciras.
"We couldn't believe what happened"
The team's players helped the young man out of the place where he was stuck, as he was barely able to move due to exhaustion.
Jorge Santiago, one of the vice-presidents of Real Valladolid Club, said: "We couldn't believe what happened, and it makes you think. We did what we had to do, which was to inform the Civil Guard. He is a 17-year-old young man, and we had to treat him with humanity, by providing him with food and drink and helping him understand and communicate in Arabic using a translation app."
The Valladolid team includes several French-speaking players, but the minor did not speak French fluently, nor did he speak Spanish well.
The club's delegation took care of the minor until the arrival of the Civil Guard, who took him into their custody.
Santiago added: "When someone risks their life for a better future, it makes us reflect on the privileges we have. He was just a child risking his life in this way, far from his family."
Spanish authorities have recorded similar cases in recent years where migrants have attempted to reach the Iberian Peninsula by hiding inside various vehicles.
A representative of Real Valladolid Club explained that two other young men had previously tried to sneak under the team's bus near the stadium, but their attempt was thwarted, and they were apprehended.
Jorge Santiago could not specify the location or method by which this stowaway managed to board the bus.
The incident highlights the extreme dangers faced by irregular crossings, even by minors, as they try to reach mainland Europe.
This case comes in the midst of a humanitarian crisis in Ceuta, one of the occupied cities in North Africa, which has become a focal point of political and diplomatic tension since the end of July, after the arrival of more than 70,000 migrants from Morocco, according to the website.
