The Independent: John Obi Mikel has revealed he was told that his father had been kidnapped just hours before the World Cup match between Nigeria and Argentina.
The former Chelsea midfielder and Super Eagles captain was told the news that father Pa Michael Obi had been abducted in south-east Nigeria while he was on board the team coach.
Mikel didn’t tell anyone what had happened before the match in St Petersburg and went on to play as Nigeria went out of the tournament after a 2-1 defeat.
His father has now been released after police back in his home country stepped in and is being treated in hospital for trauma after a week-long ordeal.
He said, “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. I could not even inform the coaches or NFF staff and only a very tight circle of my friends knew.”
The spread of West Nile virus — a mosquito-borne disease transmitted primarily by infected mosquitoes — in Greece is showing an upward trend, according to the National Public Health Orga...
A coordinated international operation has dealt a significant blow to two international migrant smuggling networks with close links to Libya and the Western Balkans, leading to the arres...
Updated 0940
Malta Employers Calls for Long-Term Infrastructure Strategy after Power Outages: Malta Employers has renewed its call for a coordinated, long-term infrastructure strategy...
Morning Briefing
Messages reveal close ties between Yorgen Fenech and former Deputy Police Commissioner
Evidence presented in court in the trial against Yorgen Fenech has shed furt...
The European Commission has unveiled an ambitious package of tax reforms aimed at simplifying tax rules across the European Union, reducing compliance burdens for businesses and strength...
The European Union's new Migration and Asylum Pact enters into force on 12 June, ushering in the most significant reform of the bloc's migration framework in years and placing renewed em...
TikTok videos are coming to Disney+, meaning that Spider-Man and Moana are about to become TikTok stars. Officially.
The tech giant and the entertainment behemoth have inked what they...
Oil prices rose on Thursday as investors remained cautious on the outcome of Iran-Oman talks and whether they will restore flows via the Strait of Hormuz, while reports of attacks on Sa...
Artificial intelligence has already transformed industries such as finance and education, but one of its most important tests may come in medicine: discovering new drugs.
Pharmaceutic...
Malta’s new pay transparency regulations, which came into effect on the 5th of June, aim to strengthen fairness and equality in the workplace, but employers are warning that the rushed i...
Malta Employers has reiterated its call for a coordinated, long-term approach to infrastructure planning, stressing that the recent electricity outages should be viewed as part of broade...
Artificial intelligence has already transformed industries such as finance and education, but one of its most important tests may come in medicine: discovering new drugs.
Pharmaceutic...
President Donald Trump announced late Saturday that he had called off planned U.S. strikes on Iran, saying renewed negotiations had raised hopes of easing the conflict and reopening ship...
Gulf states have backed a proposal aimed at reducing disruption to global oil trade by allowing Iran to collect voluntary fees from ships using the Strait of Hormuz, according to sources...
At least 32 people have been killed and more than 700 injured after two powerful earthquakes — measuring 7.2 and 7.5 — struck central Venezuela seconds apart, causing widespread destruct...
Thousands of Cuban security personnel have begun leaving Caracas after nearly two decades in Venezuela, as Washington ramps up efforts to dismantle the long standing alliance between the...
North Korea has deployed troops, weapons and now, according to a Ukrainian intelligence official, a missile unit to support Russia's war against Ukraine, marking Pyongyang's most signifi...
A North Korean missile unit has begun deploying to western Russia and could be equipped with 120 ballistic missiles and six launchers for strikes against Ukraine, an official at Ukraine...
