Mikel played for Nigeria despite kidnappers’ threat to shoot father

in Moscow

John Obi Mikel played in Nigeria’s World Cup defeat by Argentina despite having just been told his father was being held for ransom and would be shot “instantly” if he alerted the authorities.

Mikel revealed yesterday that he had received a call four hours before kick-off in his country’s final Group D game on June 26 from kidnappers demanding 10 million Nigerian naira (about £21,100) for the safe return of Pa Michael Obi.

The former Chelsea midfielder kept quiet about the threat, which was only revealed when Nigerian police announced on Monday night that his father had been rescued that day following a “gun duel”.

According to reports, Mikel’s father had been tortured and needed hospital treatment. His son is considering flying him abroad for further treatment.

Astonishingly, this was the second time Mikel had played a game after being told his father had been kidnapped, the first being almost seven years earlier in a Premier League match between Chelsea and Stoke City. He even made a televised plea for the safe return of his father, who was found alive just over a week later.

Speaking about last week’s abduction for the first time, the Nigeria captain said: “I was

Held to ransom: John Obi Mikel’s father was rescued after a police shoot-out 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 was told that they would shoot my dad instantly if I reported to the authorities or told anybody.

“I did not want to discuss it with the coach, because I did not want my issue to become a distraction to the coach or the rest of the team on the day of such an important game. So, as much as I wanted to discuss it with the coach, I could not do it.”

Nigeria’s 2-1 loss eliminated them from the World Cup and Mikel flew to England, where he still has a house, to deal with the crisis.

Nigerian police said yesterday: “The abductors started calling to demand a ransom of N10 million before police operatives acted on intelligence and swooped on them.

“In the process of the rescue, a gun duel ensued between police operatives and the kidnappers, which forced the hoodlums to abandon their victims.”

Mikel, who spent more than a decade at Chelsea, now plays for Tianjin TEDA in China.