Sunderland’s Simon Adingra recalls being stranded abroad at 12 after bogus academy scam | OneFootball

Sunderland winger Simon Adingra has recalled being left alone in Benin at 12 after his family were deceived by a bogus football academy. According to Sunderland Echo, the Ivory Coast international is now at the World Cup, having not been selected for the Africa Cup of Nations earlier this year.

He and nine other boys travelled from Ivory Coast believing they were joining an academy, only to be abandoned without accommodation, support or money for food. With no help, they stayed together and took odd jobs, washing plates in restaurants for small payments and meals.

Their situation changed when a compatriot who had studied in Ivory Coast recognised their accent in the street. He helped them secure a place to live and set up a small football centre around the group, which grew into a functioning academy in Benin.

That proved the turning point. Adingra later played a tournament in Ghana, where the Right to Dream academy spotted him. His rise continued through Nordsjaelland and Brighton & Hove Albion before a move to Sunderland.

On 28 December 2025 he scored his first Sunderland goal in a 1-1 home draw against Leeds United. He then joined Monaco for an initial loan fee of £870,000, with an option to buy for £16million last winter, after struggling for regular starts under Règis Le Bris.

Source: Sunderland Echo