I was playing while my father was in the kidnappers den - Obi Mikel
Nigeria ’ s captain, John Mikel Obi on Tuesday revealed he knew of his father ’ s kidnap hours before the Super Eagles played Argentina at the World Cup .
Mikel received the shocking news as he travelled on the team bus to the stadium in St Petersburg last Tuesday. A family member called him and told him that he had to call the kidnappers on a designated number. When Mikel did so , he was ordered to pay a ransom.
Mikel has told Guardian UK that he could not confide in anyone at the Nigerian Football Federation – partly because he did not want to be a distraction before the game – and how he asked himself whether he had the strength to play .
Pa Michael Obi was abducted as he travelled to a funeral along the Makurdi- Enugu expressway from Jos .
Mikel tried to put the trauma to one side and he played the 90 minutes against Argentina . Nigeria lost 1 - 2 to a late Marcus Rojo goal to exit the tournament .
“ I played while my father was in the hands of bandits, ” Mikel said . “ I had to suppress the trauma . I took a call four hours before kick - off to tell me what had happened .
“ I was emotionally distraught and I had to make the decision about whether I was mentally ready to play . I was confused . I did not know what to do but , in the end , I knew that I could not let 180 million Nigerians down . I had to shut it out of my head and go and represent my country first . I could not even inform the coaches or NFF staff and only a very tight circle of my friends knew.
“ I was told that they would shoot my dad instantly if I reported to the authorities or told anybody . I also did not want to discuss it with the coach [Gernot Rohr ] because I did not want my issue to become a distraction to him or the rest of the team on the day of such an important game . As much as I wanted to discuss it with the coach , I could not.
“ Thankfully , my father was safely released on Monday afternoon . I thank the police authorities for their rescue efforts and the support I’ ve received from friends and family members . Unfortunately , my dad is now in hospital receiving emergency treatment as a result of the torture he received during his capture . ”
Mikel received the shocking news as he travelled on the team bus to the stadium in St Petersburg last Tuesday. A family member called him and told him that he had to call the kidnappers on a designated number. When Mikel did so , he was ordered to pay a ransom.
Mikel has told Guardian UK that he could not confide in anyone at the Nigerian Football Federation – partly because he did not want to be a distraction before the game – and how he asked himself whether he had the strength to play .
Pa Michael Obi was abducted as he travelled to a funeral along the Makurdi- Enugu expressway from Jos .
Mikel tried to put the trauma to one side and he played the 90 minutes against Argentina . Nigeria lost 1 - 2 to a late Marcus Rojo goal to exit the tournament .
“ I was emotionally distraught and I had to make the decision about whether I was mentally ready to play . I was confused . I did not know what to do but , in the end , I knew that I could not let 180 million Nigerians down . I had to shut it out of my head and go and represent my country first . I could not even inform the coaches or NFF staff and only a very tight circle of my friends knew.
“ I was told that they would shoot my dad instantly if I reported to the authorities or told anybody . I also did not want to discuss it with the coach [Gernot Rohr ] because I did not want my issue to become a distraction to him or the rest of the team on the day of such an important game . As much as I wanted to discuss it with the coach , I could not.
“ Thankfully , my father was safely released on Monday afternoon . I thank the police authorities for their rescue efforts and the support I’ ve received from friends and family members . Unfortunately , my dad is now in hospital receiving emergency treatment as a result of the torture he received during his capture . ”
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