Nigeria captain John Obi Mikel has revealed he played in his country s World Cup clash with Argentina knowing that his father had been kidnapped.
The 31-year-old s father, Pa Michael Obi, was tortured during a week-long ordeal before police secured his release from the kidnappers who demanded a ransom from Nigeria s captain and told him he would be killed if he reported the incident.
Mikel told The Guardian that he contemplated withdrawing from the match but opted to play in the 2-1 defeat without informing Nigeria coach Gernot Rohr of his father s capture so as not to disturb the team s preparation.
I played while my father was in the hands of bandits, said Mikel. 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.
— Mikel John Obi (@mikel_john_obi)
Mikel s father, who had been kidnapped previously in 2011, was captured while travelling along the Makurdi-Enugu expressway from Jos, on his way to a funeral.
He was given emergency treatment in hospital after being released and Mikel thanked emergency services for coming to his rescue.
I could not even inform the coaches or NFF [Nigerian Football Federation] staff and only a very tight circle of my friends knew, said the former Chelsea star, now of Chinese club Tianjin Teda.
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 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.
