Nigeria captain reveals that his father was kidnapped

John Obi Mikel, Nigeria midfielder and captain, revealed that he had played his country's last match against Argentina, despite the fact that his father had been kidnapped.

Pa Michael Obi was saved. 19659003] Removed hours before the match

Mikel told KweseESPN that he had received a phone call from the kidnappers four hours before the Nigeria match against Argentina last Tuesday; they were asking the 31-year-old man for 10 million N (or 26,000 US $) to make his father.

The kidnappers told Mikel not to tell the authorities or shoot his father "instantly."

Do not tell the authorities, he did not tell the Nigerian Football Federation or his coach, Gernot Rohr, and played against Argentina, trying to pretend that nothing was going on. was bad.

"I was confused, I did not know what to do, but in the end, I knew I could not drop 180 million Nigerians," Mikel said. "I had to close my head and go represent my country first.Me said that they would shoot at my father instantly if I reported to the authorities or informed anyone.

" And I did not want to discuss it with the coach because I did not want my problem to be a distraction for the coach or the rest of the team the day of such an important match. Even though I wanted to discuss it with the coach, I could not do it. "

Nigeria lost the match, 2-1, and was eliminated from the World Cup.

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Saved after a "shooting"

Mikel's father was abducted last Tuesday while he was going to a funeral in the city of Jos, where Mikel was born. On Monday, nearly a week after the kidnapping, Pa Obi and his driver were rescued after a "shootout," Nigeria's police chief, Ebere Amaraizu, said in a statement released on Tuesday. "During the course of the rescue, a shootout broke out between the police and the kidnappers, forcing thugs to abandon their victims in the forest."

Pa Obi was taken to the hospital and his family was told KweseEspn that he had been tortured and that he needed several stitches; He was first released, but he had to return to the hospital after the breakup of some sutures.

Now that the test is public, Mikel posted a statement on Twitter:

Mikel plans to send his father abroad.

C & # 39; is the second time that Pa Obi is kidnapped, the first time was in 2011, and he was released after 10 days.After this last kidnapping, security around Mikel's family will be intensified.

Return to China [19659018] Mikel, who has lived in England since the defeat against Argentina, was due to return to China on Tuesday. In more than a decade with Chelsea, Mikel started playing for the Tianjin TEDA team of the Chinese Super League in 2017 and is vice-captain of the team.

Tianjin TEDA is currently eighth in the Super League at 16-month break for the World Cup. China has not qualified for the tournament, but many players in the league play for their respective countries.

It will resume on July 17.

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