- Eight-year investigation culminates with documentary film & ESPN.com story
- The Dream Factory published today on ESPN App and ESPN.com
- Film will make television debut June 30 at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes
A new ESPN multimedia investigation, eight years in the making, exposes exploitation, sexual predation, and neglect in Argentina’s pro soccer pipeline, tracing one player’s journey and questioning accountability within the system that produced the reigning World Cup champions.
Published today on the ESPN App and ESPN.com, and in Spanish on ESPNDeportes.com, The Dream Factory presentation includes a one-hour documentary film and an extensive written and visual piece. The documentary will be published on the ESPN YouTube channel on Saturday, June 27, the day Argentina’ plays Jordan in its third FIFA World Cup match in group play.
The film will make its television debut on Tuesday, June 30, at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes.
Argentina’s youth soccer system is among the best in the world, routinely developing athletes who play at the highest levels, including at the World Cup. But an ESPN investigation finds that the system can be rife with problems: dream-chasing players can endure, at one extreme, sexual abuse, but also hunger, overcrowding and unsafe living conditions, sometimes in plain sight of adults charged with their care and regulatory bodies that have the authority 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 reporter 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 and the story explore how the system operates. Some insiders describe it as cruel and ugly.
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.
The Dream Factory film was directed by Lyndsey Armacost.
Links:
ESPN.com story: https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/49000669/argentina-world-cup-champions-soccer-futbol-youth-development-system
Film: https://www.espn.com/watch/catalog/eac29c14-f95b-401b-abab-deecd1b9c7cb
ESPN Deportes story (in Spanish): https://espndeportes.espn.com/futbol/nota/_/id/16864945/argentina-campeones-mundo-jugadores-fuerzas-basicas-casos
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Media contacts: andy.hall@espn.com and santa.brito@espn.com
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