Terrible news reported by the Daily Mail. John Mikel Obi was told his father had been kidnapped in Nigeria and would be shot if authorities were informed, only four hours before he captained his country in their 2-1 defeat by Argentina in the World Cup on June 26.

After being informed by a family member on the bus to the stadium, Mikel chose not to confide in the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) so as not to distract his team ahead of a decisive World Cup match.

Police freed his father, Pa Michael Obi, on Monday, but he is now in hospital after being tortured by his captors.

I think this is a terrible piece of news for those who think it is easy to be a footballer. Sometimes it causes adverse effects on your near and dear. And you still have to perform at top level whatever happens. This may be one of the reasons why Nigeria narrowly lost 1-2 in the game.