The International Orga-nisation for Migration (IOM) said the incident was just one sign of a hidden but deeper problem in Africa with unscrupulous, self-styled agents, and lure of European football.

The parents of the 16 to 18 year-old boys, who played for a local youth club in an impoverished suburb of the capital Abidjan, were tricked into paying 300,000 CFA francs (600 dollars) so that their children would be placed in top European clubs.

Instead, the youngsters were smuggled into neighbouring Mali three months ago, the IOM said.

The group was discovered during a police raid recently, sleeping on the floor of a room of a house in the town of Sikasso, with little food, IOM spokeswoman Jemini Pandya said.

The fake agent and the president of the club they were playing for, Yopougon, were arrested and are facing criminal charges.

"There is an increasing number of young Africans who are reportedly lured to Europe with promises of wealth and fame, only to find themselves without papers, money or contracts in exploitative situations," Pandya explained.

"The dream of going to Europe is a very big one in West Africa, football is a great passion," she added.

Some of the Ivorian youngsters were said to be so mesmerised by the European game that they were desperate to become professional players and send money back home to their families.

The IOM was unable to give a more precise idea of the scale of the problem.

The agency and the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) have joined forces with the Ivorian government to give the teenagers psychological support and to raise awareness about the dangers of bogus offers from rogue agents.