Former Champions League winner held up at gunpoint by man, 25, demanding top flight contract
A FORMER Champions League winner was held up at gunpoint by a man demanding a top flight contract.
Ex-Netherlands midfielder Mark van Bommel was attacked by the 25-year-old gunman back in October.
The Royal Antwerp manager was approached in a car park, with Van Bommel “fearing for his life” as a result of the attack.
However, it was not his car or expensive watch that the attacker wanted. Instead it was a job as a pro footballer.
The Belgian Public Prosecutor’s Office have found the culprit, Jamaleh Haban M., was aiming to extort himself a contract with the Belgian club.
Haban, who claims to be 17 despite prosecutors finding him to be 25, had placed an Apple AirTag Tracker on Van Bommel’s Porsche Panamera.
The AirTag then allowed him to locate the Dutchman outside his apartment complex, where he blinded him with a torch before threatening him with a firearm.
Van Bommel, who won the Champions League with Barcelona in 2006, was able to escape by quickly reversing before fleeing the scene.
Investigations into Haban’s phone have revealed an audio message that he planned to play to Van Bommel, which mentioned a contract with Antwerp.
De Telegraaf report that the message read: “Listen Mark, your family’s life depends on this, let me become a professional player.
“Don’t go to the police, we will kill you and your family. We know where you live.”
Van Bommel, who was shaken by the attack, is seeking £4,300 in damages.
His lawyer told Het Nieuwsblad: “We cannot laugh about that. The impact of these facts cannot be underestimated.
“My client is used to some things, but not this. He no longer dares to sleep at home and lives in a hotel.”