The Dream Factory

Argentina’s youth soccer system is the best in the world, routinely developing athletes who play across the world professional at the highest levels, including the World Cup. But an ESPN investigation finds that the system can be rife with problems: Dream-chasing players can endure hunger, neglect, squalor, and abuses, sometimes in plain sight of adults charged with their care and regulatory bodies who have field to establish rules to protect them.

In The Dream Factory, ESPN’s investigative team examines the feeder system through a years-long investigation led by Steve Fainaru. What began as reporting on a 2018 sexual abuse scandal at one of the country’s top clubs evolved into a broader examination into an unregulated system in which thousands of children leave their families to pursue their dreams.

The film explores how that system operates, including housing, recruitment, and oversight, as well as the living arrangements many players face, including instances of abuse, overcrowded and unsafe living conditions, and neglect. Some insiders describe it as cruel, and critics compare it to child trafficking.

Through one player’s journey, The Dream Factory shows how these issues have persisted and raises questions about oversight and accountability within one of the world’s most prominent soccer cultures.

Full Story: espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/49000669/argentina-world-cup-champions-soccer-futbol-youth-development-system

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