An English football coach has revealed how he was kidnapped in Morocco and threatened with death as part of an alleged extortion attempt linked to a bogus coaching job offer in Saudi Arabia.
Adrian Heath, the 65-year-old former Everton striker and long-serving Major League Soccer coach, told The Athletic that he was abducted in Tangier in late 2024 after traveling to Morocco to discuss what he believed was a senior coaching role opportunity.
He said he decided to speak publicly after being informed by the FBI that another football manager had reportedly been targeted in a similar way.
According to Heath, the trip was arranged following extensive phone conversations with an English real estate agent who claimed to be acting on behalf of Saudi interests. A meeting in Tangier was proposed on the grounds that the purported backer owned multiple hotels and businesses in the city. Flights and accommodation were booked for Heath in advance.
Upon arrival, Heath said he was met at the airport by two men carrying flowers and driven away in a standard passenger car. He became alarmed when the vehicle failed to head toward the agreed five-star hotel and instead entered a run-down neighborhood. He was taken into a small apartment, where a third man was waiting.
“You’re going to transfer our money. If you don’t, you’ll never see your wife, your two children, and your grandchildren again,” one of the men told him. The captors demanded hundreds of thousands of euros and demonstrated detailed knowledge of his family. His wallet and mobile phone were also stolen.
Heath said he told the men that an immediate transfer was not possible, as his funds were located back in the United States and the banks would be shut due to the time difference. He spent the night on a couch in the apartment while being guarded. The following morning, he said, the men held an 18-inch knife to his throat and forced him to make a video call to his wife, Jane.
“Listen to what I’m saying. I need you to transfer some money,” Heath told her during the call.
Jane responded, “Adrian, we changed bank accounts less than 12 months ago. You’re the head name on it. I can’t transfer any money without you there.” The call was then cut off.
Heath’s family used the “Find My Friends” application on his iPhone to track his location, as his cell phone’s location services had not been disabled. A screenshot showing his precise position in Tangier was sent to his phone, which Heath said spooked the kidnappers.
He said he was determined not to pay, believing that compliance would only escalate the demands. “Listen, I don’t know how this is going to end up, but bottom line, you’re not getting any money,” Heath told his captors. “You can see that the only chance you’ve got in getting any money is me going home and me wiring it to you.”
Shortly afterward, the men decided to abandon the extortion attempt. Heath said he was driven to the airport and pushed out of a slowly moving car at the entrance before the vehicle sped away. His suitcase and approximately €600 in cash were taken.
Heath booked the first available flight back to Europe. By the time he returned to the United States, where he lives, FBI agents were waiting for him. He said federal authorities guarded his home and family for a month following his return.
The case is now under investigation by the FBI in the United States and by the National Crime Agency in the United Kingdom. Heath said he kept the incident private for more than a year, with knowledge limited to close family, associates, and the League Managers Association (LMA).
“I started thinking about all the good stuff about my life. My wife. My children. My grandkids,” Heath said, reflecting on the kidnapping.
The Englishman said the decision to go public followed confirmation from the FBI that another football manager had allegedly been subjected to a similar scheme. No further details about that case have been disclosed.
