13-Year-Old Aspiring Footballer Dies After Being Thrown Into River Over £40 Debt

A 13-year-old aspiring Senegalese footballer, Abdou Ngom, has tragically lost his life after being thrown into a river in Italy over a £40 debt.

According to Daily Mail, Abdou was pushed into the Tanaro River in Verduno, Piedmont region, on April 21. He had travelled there with four other boys from a nearby town to spend time at a riverside beach.

Prosecutors have charged one of the teenagers with voluntary manslaughter, and he is currently under house arrest. Police investigations revealed the suspect may have acted to recover €50 (£40) that Abdou allegedly owed him.

Following the incident, search teams scoured the river for a week before calling off the operation, leaving Abdou’s family without the closure of recovering his body.

Speaking about his son’s dreams, Abdou’s father shared: “He dreamed of becoming a footballer and played for Bra first, then for the team in Roreto, Cherasco. 

“But he couldn’t swim. Unfortunately, I wasn’t home that day, and he left without telling his mum where he was going. Otherwise, we would never have let him go to the river with those friends.

“I hope this breakthrough in the investigation will at least lead to the search for my Abdou being restarted. I just want them to let us bury his body and have a grave where we can mourn him.’