Man Threatens Champions League Winner With Gun, Demands Football Contract

• Mark van Bommel has enjoyed great success since taking over at the Belgian club Royal Antwerp
• The former Barcelona man was held at gunpoint and urged to give a fan a professional contract
• The perpetrator is set to be handed a five-year jail sentence

Mark van Bommel was attacked by a man who was armed with a gun attempting to get himself a contract at the Belgian side Royal Antwerp.

The former Netherlands midfielder, on course to lead Antwerp to their first Belgian championship since 1957, was forcefully approached in a car park in October.

The Belgian Public Prosecutor's Office (OM) has found that the culprit, Jamaleh Haban M, was not interested in the coach's Porsche Panamera or his expensive watch, but in a deal with his employers.

Investigations found that Haban had placed an AirTag, which is an Apple Tracker, under Van Bommel's Porsche Panamera, where he was able to locate the Antwerp boss in the parking area outside his apartment complex.

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Haban, whom prosecutors found to be 25 years old although he claims to be 17, blinded Van Bommel with a torch and then threatened him with a firearm. The Dutchman managed to escape by reversing quickly and then fleeing the scene.

Van Bommel gets court verdict

Investigations into Haban's iPhone, which was linked to the AirTag, revealed an audio message that he had planned to play to Van Bommel before the Dutchman managed to get away. It involved him landing a contract with the Juliper Pro League club.

Translated from Arabic, De Telegraaf notes that the message read as follows:

"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".

Despite coming away physically unscathed, the mental scars have remained for Van Bommel.

On Wednesday, the ex-midfielder's lawyer, John Maes, told Het Nieuwsblad:

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"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."

As a result, Van Bommel is demanding €5,000 in moral damages. The Prosecution, meanwhile, has asked for a five-year prison sentence and a fine of €1,200.

Barcelona wins La Liga in court

Earlier Sports Brief reported that Barcelona has gotten victory over La Liga in court following the ongoing tussle over the registration of 18-year-old midfielder Gavi.

The Catalan giants had dragged the league body to a commercial court after La Liga denied their request to register Gavi to the club’s first team because of their ‘expected’ monetary deficit for the summer.