Adrian Heath recounts Morocco kidnap after Saudi job scam | OneFootball

Adrian Heath says he was abducted and held in Morocco after being lured by a fake job offer in Saudi Arabia in November 2024. The former Everton forward, 65, says he is simply glad to be alive.

“It felt like a film or an episode of Homeland,” he told The Athletic.

In summer 2024, a UK-based agent approached him with the supposed role. He received a flight for 17 November and a five-star hotel booking.

“The process was exactly the same as when he moved from England to the United States, or from Orlando to Minnesota,” his wife Jane said. “There were no red flags, they had spent hours talking and the agent answered every question.”

Once in Morocco, he was kidnapped and forced to transfer money. He said the demand was well into six figures. He alerted only a small circle and the Premier League managers’ union, then was contacted by the FBI over a similar case involving another coach.

The National Crime Agency is investigating allegations linked to a fake football consortium offering jobs that led to threats of violence and money transfers, with no actual posts or contracts. It is not providing further details while enquiries continue.

Source: L'Équipe