A Moroccan boy was discovered hiding beneath a Real Valladolid team bus after the Spanish football club left the North African territory of Ceuta following a second-division match.
The child was found by Valladolid players at a service station on Monday after members of the team heard unusual noises coming from underneath the vehicle.
The club had travelled to Ceuta for a league fixture that ended in a 1-1 draw before boarding a ferry across the Strait of Gibraltar to return to mainland Spain.
According to sources at the club who spoke to AFP, the boy remained concealed near the bus’s wheel axle throughout the ferry journey and continued the journey for more than 100 kilometres after the vehicle reached the mainland.
He eventually called for help, prompting the players and other club personnel to intervene. They provided him with food, water and clothing before handing him over to police.
The incident comes amid heightened migration tensions surrounding Ceuta, a Spanish territory on Africa’s northern coast.
Spain has faced increased pressure to prevent irregular migrants from travelling from Ceuta to the mainland following a migration crisis on July 30 and 31, when more than 70,000 people reportedly attempted to cross into the territory by swimming around a border fence.
Most of those who entered subsequently returned, although several thousand remained in Ceuta.
The influx has also contributed to worsening conditions in the territory and prompted demonstrations by some residents.
Moroccan boy found under Real Valladolid team bus after Ceuta trip
