![\"Adrian](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-2215190278-scaled.jpg\")
<\/p>\nAs the sun disappeared beneath the horizon on a drive across the northern tip of Morocco, Adrian Heath couldn\u2019t help but think of the places football had taken him.<\/p>\n
The sport first lifted him out of Knutton, the iron-forging village in Newcastle-under-Lyme, England, where a small kid nicknamed \u201cInchy\u201d discovered the work rate instilled in him by his railworker grandfather and an uncanny nose for goal outmeasured anything else.<\/p>\n
It carried him to Stoke City, and then into becoming Everton\u2019s most expensive signing at the time in 1982. His goal in the League Cup in 1984 against Oxford United may have saved Howard Kendall\u2019s job and helped Heath become a giant at the club.<\/p>\n
He became one of the first English footballers to venture to Spain\u2019s La Liga, signing with Espanyol in 1988. And when his playing days were done, the sport brought him to the United States through coaching stints at Austin Aztex, Orlando City and Minnesota United. For those clubs, he traveled the globe looking for players. He coached a Ballon d\u2019Or winner in Brazilian legend Kak\u00e1.<\/p>\n
This trip to Morocco was supposed to be another adventure: an interview for a coaching job in Saudi Arabia. Heath thought of it as a chance to work on a new continent, experience a different part of the world. Another chapter that football would write in his life.<\/p>\n
On another night, it might have looked beautiful as dusk turned to darkness and the city lights faded behind him. But on this night, Heath thought about what the game had given him. He thought about his four grandchildren and the stories he could tell them.<\/p>\n
Then he turned to look at his kidnapper in the driver\u2019s seat of the four-door sedan and wondered whether it would be football that now ended his life.<\/p>\n
There are rhythms you develop over decades of marriage, especially when work has one half of a partnership on the road.<\/p>\n
Adrian and Jane Heath are no different. They met in 1990, when Adrian was playing for Manchester City, and over the next three and a half decades, they fell into a routine when Heath traveled for work. He would always touch base when he landed and then again when he got to the hotel. Technology streamlined those traditions now. A text upon landing, a FaceTime from the hotel.<\/p>\n
So when Jane got the text when Adrian landed in Tangier, but didn\u2019t get the FaceTime call when he got to the hotel, alarms started to go off.<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you OK?\u201d she texted.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m fine,\u201d he responded. \u201cJust busy.\u201d<\/p>\n
But Jane couldn\u2019t shake the feeling that something was wrong. The grammar in the texts felt off. They always used proper grammar. And Adrian still wasn\u2019t FaceTiming.<\/p>\n
She called him.<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you OK?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n
Adrian responded the same way.<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, I\u2019m OK.\u201d<\/p>\n
But she could hear in his voice that something was wrong.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll see you in the morning,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
They hung up.<\/p>\n
One minute later, one of the men in the room put a blade to Adrian\u2019s throat.<\/p>\n
\u201cListen,\u201d he said. \u201cYou\u2019ve got a few hours now to think this over.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n Adrian Heath took part in the festivities during Everton\u2019s final match at Goodison Park (Paul Ellis \/ AFP \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n
This wasn\u2019t a story Heath planned on sharing.<\/p>\n
For more than a year, he kept his kidnapping quiet outside of telling a small circle of friends and alerting the League Managers Association (LMA; the trade union representing managers in English football). Then he got a call from the FBI agent in charge of his case. It had happened to another manager.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we got that phone call from the FBI saying it\u2019s happened again, I immediately broke down,\u201d Jane Heath said. \u201cYou think it\u2019s over, but it\u2019s never going to go away\u2026 The thought of another family going through anything like that.\u201d<\/p>\n
He heard there may have been two cases before his. Now another after it. The Heaths decided staying quiet opened the door for others to face the same type of threat he escaped.<\/p>\n
In an interview in December 2025, they recounted the experience of three days in November 2024 to The Athletic. They agreed to tell the story on the condition they did not use names and specific locations, or any details that could threaten what remains an open investigation in both the U.S. and England.<\/p>\n
The FBI replied to an email saying their policy is to neither confirm nor deny the existence of any investigation. A spokesman for the UK\u2019s National Crime Agency (NCA), though, issued the following statement: \u201cWe can confirm officers from the NCA are investigating allegations linked to a fake football consortium who are offering professional footballers employment, which has resulted in threats of violence and the transfer of monies with no employment or contracts actually existing. As our investigation is ongoing, we are not able to provide any further information at this time.\u201d<\/p>\n
For the Heaths, recounting the details feels surreal even now.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s like a movie or an episode of Homeland or something,\u201d Adrian said.<\/p>\n
He goes through the same process when he looks back on it: Thinking through how the dialogue started. Wondering if there was a red flag he missed.<\/p>\n
Heath, 65, spent the year after being fired by Minnesota United in October 2023 traveling with Jane, and visiting his kids, Harrison and Meg, and his four grandkids. After 15 straight years of managing in Austin, Orlando and Minnesota, a break was overdue.<\/p>\n
But when a call came in summer 2024 from a UK-based agent asking if he would be open to a job in Saudi Arabia, Heath answered in the affirmative.<\/p>\n
\u201cObviously, everything would have to be right,\u201d Heath told the agent.<\/p>\n
When the club and the money were discussed, Heath was intrigued by the opportunity. He wanted to get back into managing. He felt as eager as ever to coach again.<\/p>\n
The job was eventually filled by another manager, but Heath kept an eye on the club. Things were going poorly. A few months later, he got another call from the same agent.<\/p>\n
\u201cAdrian, this job is going to come back around and you were very close the last time,\u201d the agent said. \u201cIs it something you want to revisit?\u201d<\/p>\n
Heath said yes. Over the next few days, the two discussed details: salary, budget for staff, accommodations in Saudi Arabia, even healthcare. The calls were done over speakerphone. Jane listened in on each one. Nothing seemed off.<\/p>\n
Adrian made some calls to contacts who worked in Saudi Arabia, including Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard. They all had good things to say about the club and working in the Saudi leagues. Soon, the agent said the club\u2019s owner wanted to meet with him. He asked if Heath could meet in Morocco, where \u201cthe sheikh\u201d had several hotels and other businesses.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we get everything done by Tuesday, we\u2019ll fly you to Saudi for the announcement,\u201d the agent said.<\/p>\n
A plane ticket was sent over for Sunday, November 17, and a reservation was made at a five-star hotel on the Mediterranean Sea.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow this whole process happened is no different than how it happened with him going from England to America or him going from Orlando to Minnesota,\u201d Jane said. \u201cThere were no red flags because they\u2019d had hours of conversations. There wasn\u2019t any question (the agent) hesitated on.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Adrian](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-516129394-scaled.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
\n Adrian Heath playing for Everton against Liverpool in the 1984 League Cup final (Allsport \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Adrian got on a flight to Tangier via Manchester. When he landed in Morocco on the evening of Nov. 18, two men were there to greet him at the airport. They handed him flowers and then ushered him to a black, four-door sedan and set off for the hotel.<\/p>\n
But after about 40 minutes, they turned off the main highway.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt first, I\u2019m thinking it\u2019s the quickest way to where we\u2019re going,\u201d Heath said. \u201cWe were supposed to be going to meet with the sheikh. \u2018He just wants to meet you and say hello.\u2019 Great, no problem. But within 20 minutes, I\u2019m starting to panic a bit because the lanes are going down and it\u2019s getting dark. We end up driving into this little harbor town and we go into a sketchy neighborhood. I was supposed to be staying at a beach hotel.\u201d<\/p>\n
The car turned down an alley and came to a stop. The men hopped out of the car and opened the door for Heath to get out. They guided him into a small apartment building and then into a sparsely furnished, smoke-filled room. A sectional couch was pushed against three of the walls, brass ornaments sat on a table in the middle of the room and a TV was on the far wall. Elaborate, heavy curtains covered the windows. Music played in the background.<\/p>\n
There were three men in the room. A man in his mid-50s, another in his 30s and the third, in his late teens or early 20s, looked like the younger brother of the 30-something.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor the first hour, they didn\u2019t really speak to me,\u201d Heath said. \u201cThey were having a few drinks and they were asking me, \u2018Do you want a drink?\u2019 And I said no, because by then I\u2019m thinking I don\u2019t want to be drinking anything.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then they sat Heath down on the couch.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou obviously realize that this isn\u2019t what you thought it was going to be,\u201d the man in his 30s said to Heath. \u201cThis is how it\u2019s going to work: You\u2019re going to send us money.\u201d<\/p>\n
Heath said the number was well in the six figures, but declined to share the amount.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd if you don\u2019t, you won\u2019t see your wife again. You won\u2019t see your two kids and your grandkids.\u201d<\/p>\n
It was clear the men in the room had done their research on Heath and his family. They took his wallet and phone. Heath\u2019s stomach dropped. Immediately, he started thinking of how he might escape this situation unscathed.<\/p>\n
![\"Harrison](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-481024956-scaled.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
\n Harrison Heath, left, playing for Orlando City while being coached by his father, Adrian, in a 2015 friendly vs. West Brom (Alex Menendez \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n
For now, he needed to buy time. He seized on the seven-hour time difference. Even if he wanted to send the money, his wife wouldn\u2019t be able to do it now, Heath insisted. It was late in Morocco, which also meant it was past the end of the business day in the U.S., he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was just thinking of ways to sort of try to string it out,\u201d Heath said. \u201cTo find out how strong we were with this.\u201d<\/p>\n
When Jane called, one man held the phone in front of Adrian\u2019s face with the speakerphone turned on. The thin, 15- to 18-inch blade\u00a0came out soon after.<\/p>\n
Heath sat on the couch through the night, his eyes closed as those around him drank and smoked. He pretended he was asleep, but was just trying to come to terms with what was likely to happen in the coming days.<\/p>\n
Heath said the seven hours in the night were \u201cwhen it was at its worst.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I got time to think,\u201d he recalled. \u201cWhat I\u2019m thinking is this might be it, right? I\u2019m not sure I\u2019m getting home from here.\u201d<\/p>\n
As the men in the room carried on, Heath thought about what he wanted to get home to.<\/p>\n
\u201cI started thinking about all the good stuff about my life,\u201d he said. \u201cMy wife. My children. My grandkids.\u201d<\/p>\n
He thought about his grandsons, Hayden and Hendrix, who were in New Jersey with Harrison and his wife, MLS Apple TV analyst and former Canadian women\u2019s national team player Kaylyn Kyle; and his grandson Heath and granddaughter Wilder, who lived in England with Meg and her husband, Reading striker Will Keane.<\/p>\n
He wondered if they\u2019d ever be together again.<\/p>\n
In the pitch-dark room, Heath remembers hearing the call to prayer in the morning. What came next surprised him. The wife and toddler son of the man in his 30s came into the room. Neither looked at him. The little boy \u2014 Heath guessed he was about four \u2014 watched a cartoon on the TV. At one point, the wife went grocery shopping. Later, she put a backpack on the kid and took him to school. Heath remembers the young boy turning back and looking at him. They made eye contact.<\/p>\n
By that time, Heath determined he had no good options. If he gave them the money, they were only going to ask for more, he thought. But if he didn\u2019t, the blade could come out again. Heath felt determined not to give any money.<\/p>\n
As the sun rose across the world in Minneapolis, his captors took out their phone and told Heath to call his wife.<\/p>\n
Jane was still in bed when the call came. It was 6:30 a.m., but she had been awake thinking about Adrian anyway. She barely remembers hearing him tell her he needed her to go to the bank and wire money.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s going on?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cI need you to transfer some money,\u201d he answered. \u201cListen to what I\u2019m saying. I need you to transfer some money.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jane then made a split-second decision.<\/p>\n
\u201cAdrian, we changed bank accounts less than 12 months ago,\u201d she replied. \u201cYou\u2019re the head name on it. I can\u2019t transfer any money without you there.\u201d<\/p>\n
After some arguing, his captors hung the phone up. A minute later, they called back. This time, Adrian asked for less money, but the amount was still \u201cin the six figures.\u201d Jane, now in tears, stuck to her story. She couldn\u2019t transfer anything.<\/p>\n
\u201cListen, sweetie, don\u2019t worry,\u201d Adrian replied. \u201cI\u2019ll chat to you in a bit.\u201d<\/p>\n
He hung up the phone. Jane immediately called Harrison, a former MLS midfielder, to tell him what was going on.<\/p>\n
Harrison called his father. No one picked up. He called again.<\/p>\n
Adrian insisted to his captors that he needed to answer.<\/p>\n
\u201cDad, what\u2019s going on?\u201d Harrison asked. \u201cJust step out of the room and tell me what\u2019s going on.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHarrison, f***ing listen to me,\u201d Adrian said. \u201cI can\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
Once again, Heath\u2019s captors hung up the phone.<\/p>\n
Back in the States, with Harrison and Jane understandably upset, it was Kyle who provided a steady hand and took control of the situation. She directed her mother-in-law to check the \u2018Find My Friends\u2019 app.<\/p>\n
Incredibly, Heath\u2019s kidnappers had taken his phone\u00a0but neglected to turn off location services.<\/p>\n
![\"Kaylyn](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/USATSI_24433754-scaled.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
\n Adrian Heath\u2019s daughter-in-law, MLS presenter and former Canadian international Kaylyn Kyle, played a vital role in his release from captivity (Lucas Boland \/ Imagn Images)<\/p>\n
Jane took a screenshot and texted it to Harrison, who called the agent that initially set up the meeting. In what they would recount as \u201can aggressive phone call,\u201d Harrison demanded to know what was happening. He sent the agent the screenshot of where his father was. By chance, the father of a kid on the youth soccer team Harrison coached in New Jersey was an official at the FBI office in New York. Harrison called him.<\/p>\n
Back in Morocco, Heath leaned into negotiations with the kidnappers.<\/p>\n
\u201cListen, I don\u2019t know how this is going to end up, but bottom line, you\u2019re not getting any money,\u201d Heath told them. \u201cYou can see that the only chance you\u2019ve got in getting any money is me going home and me wiring it to you. From there, you\u2019re gonna have to trust me, but that\u2019s where we are.\u201d<\/p>\n
Heath said the knife came out again as they argued. Unbeknownst to the veteran coach, his family had sent the screenshot. Within minutes, things suddenly changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cLike a light switch was flicked,\u201d Heath said.<\/p>\n
The 30-something kidnapper walked into the room.<\/p>\n
\u201cGet your gear,\u201d he said, pointing to the day bag Heath brought. \u201cI\u2019m taking you to the airport.\u201d<\/p>\n
He told Heath to get into the passenger seat of the sedan. With the sun beginning to set, they took off toward the highway. With his phone now back in his hand, he texted Jane four words.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m in a car.\u201d<\/p>\n
As the city lights faded, there was about a 40-minute stretch in which it felt like darkness enveloped the car. Every once in a while they\u2019d pass a gas station and a shop or restaurant.<\/p>\n
Heath tried to think of ways to make conversation that might keep him alive.<\/p>\n
\u201cMorocco were great in the World Cup,\u201d he offered at one point.<\/p>\n
As they got closer to the airport, Heath started to believe he just might get out of the situation alive. When they approached Tangier-Ibn Battouta Airport, the car slowed to a couple miles per hour at a corner near the entrance to the airport. The man told Heath to open the door, then grabbed him and shoved him out of the car.<\/p>\n
\u201cBefore I\u2019d even picked up my bag, the car had sped off,\u201d Heath said.<\/p>\n
Heath, though, had his passport, bag and wallet \u2014 without the $600 cash that was in it at the start of the trip. Considering the circumstances, that it was all he lost was a miracle.<\/p>\n
He ran to the airport and up to the first ticket desk he could see.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s your next flight to Europe?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have a flight to Madrid in 30 minutes,\u201d he was told.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf I buy a ticket now, can I get on it?\u201d he replied.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes,\u201d the agent responded.<\/p>\n
Heath didn\u2019t ask how much it cost. He booked a ticket and sprinted through security, constantly looking over his shoulder, unsure of where he could feel safe again. He FaceTimed Jane from the gate.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo say he looked like s**t is an understatement,\u201d Jane said.<\/p>\n
At that moment, the skies opened. A torrential downpour started. Heath looked to the sky and prayed the flight would still take off. Eventually, the weather cleared and he did.<\/p>\n
In all, he had spent about 24 hours in the apartment in Morocco. It was Tuesday evening. By Wednesday, Heath landed back in the Twin Cities. Jane and the FBI were there waiting for him. The officers allowed Jane and Adrian to see each other briefly, before separating them for individual questioning.<\/p>\n
\u201cI literally collapsed into his arms,\u201d Jane recalled.<\/p>\n
![\"Former](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-1170988941-scaled.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
\n Adrian Heath managed in MLS with Minnesota United and Orlando City (Carmen Mandato \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n
The FBI provided security for the Heaths for the next 28 days. They didn\u2019t leave their home for the first 48 hours, not even for their daily walk. Most of the next few weeks were spent inside their home.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis sounds crazy, but I\u2019m going to use the word \u2018lucky,\u2019\u201d Adrian said. \u201cHow lucky we were. Because the one thing, listening to the FBI, they were just saying, \u2018You\u2019re very, very lucky to be back.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Heath alerted the LMA so it might be able to prevent a similar incident from happening in the future. It created a new protocol, Heath said, to run offers or interviews through the LMA, and the organization can then confirm interest and interviews through the corresponding federation.<\/p>\n
LMA chief executive Richard Bevan provided a short statement via email, confirming awareness of the NCA investigation, but he would not comment further because the case was still ongoing.<\/p>\n
Heath said he was told one other former MLS manager might also have been approached, though he declined to provide any names. He said he hopes the incident helps managers in the U.S. create a group like the LMA that might be able to help U.S.-based coaches. His goal of talking about what happened in Morocco, he said, was so that other managers might be warned.<\/p>\n
Heath feels fortunate to still be alive.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt times it seems surreal,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was like the longest and quickest three days of my life. It gives everyone a chance to reevaluate your life and what\u2019s actually important. And the only important thing is your family. Everything else is secondary.\u201d<\/p>\n
He and Jane don\u2019t take anything for granted now. The time with their kids and grandkids. The little things at home together.<\/p>\n
But even beyond that, when Adrian thinks back to that final drive in Morocco, he realized how much the sport still meant to him. He wants to work again, if only to have football again bring something positive to his life, as it has for so long.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve got a new respect for how good our life is and how good I\u2019ve had it,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019ve worked hard, but I\u2019ve had a great life. We\u2019re talking about a year ago, virtually now, and I was sitting there that night thinking, \u2018This is it and I\u2019ve still got so much I want to do.\u2019 And so I still want to coach. I still want to get back out there. I\u2019ve still got the enthusiasm. I know it sounds stupid, I\u2019m thinking this is it, this is the end of it all. But the next part of it is really me talking about it and then getting back into it now.\u201d<\/p>\n
For Heath, it\u2019s a mission to reinforce what he felt that night when he imagined the worst: that he wasn\u2019t done yet.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As the sun disappeared beneath the horizon on a drive across the northern tip of Morocco, Adrian Heath…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":423462,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[440],"tags":[133687,17181,26261,49,48,16539,43163,110914,16521,2811,133686,38841,44357,14708,14702,47116,567,14705,16531,563,16537,573,133688,20748,16523,10885,24859,16533,16530,574,17267,16520,14704,16524,16525,561,83034,82,16540,177190,60173,16526,16534],"class_list":["post-423461","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-soccer","tag-atlanta-united-fc","tag-austin-fc","tag-burnley","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-charlotte-fc","tag-chicago-fire","tag-club-de-foot-montreal","tag-colorado-rapids","tag-columbus-crew","tag-dc-united","tag-espanyol","tag-everton","tag-fc-cincinnati","tag-fc-dallas","tag-houston-dynamo","tag-inter-miami-cf","tag-los-angeles-fc","tag-los-angeles-galaxy","tag-manchester-city","tag-minnesota-united-fc","tag-mls","tag-nashville-soccer-club","tag-new-england-revolution","tag-new-york-city-fc","tag-new-york-red-bulls","tag-orlando-city-sc","tag-philadelphia-union","tag-portland-timbers","tag-premier-league","tag-qatar","tag-real-salt-lake","tag-san-diego-fc","tag-san-jose-earthquakes","tag-seattle-sounders-fc","tag-soccer","tag-sporting-kc","tag-sports","tag-st-louis-city-sc","tag-stoke-city","tag-top-sports-news","tag-toronto-fc","tag-vancouver-whitecaps-fc"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/423461","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=423461"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/423461\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/423462"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=423461"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=423461"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=423461"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}