Ex-Everton coach kidnapped in Morocco

Former coach of the UK’s Everton Football Club, Adrian Heath, has revealed a shocking story in which he was kidnapped and threatened at knifepoint during a trip to Morocco for a fake job interview in 2024, according to a report in the Daily Mail on January 22nd.

Speaking to The Athletic, Heath revealed he had travelled to Tangier, Morocco under the pretence he would be interviewed for a coaching role in Saudi Arabia. Upon arrival, he expected to meet “the sheikh” in control of the club.

However, his hopes of a dream job quickly turned into a nightmare as he was kidnapped during the discussions and transported to an apartment, where criminals held him hostage and demanded he pay a six-figure sum.

Heath said one of the men told him: “You obviously realise that this isn’t what you thought it was going to be. ‘This is how it’s going to work: You’re going to send us money.”

“And if you don’t, you won’t see your wife again. You won’t see your two kids and your grandkids.”

After explaining to his captors that his wife, Jane, would not be able to send the money as it was the end of the working day in the United States, Heath said they then produced a knife and threatened him.

A call with his wife eventually took place, where she claimed she was unable to authorise the transaction as her husband was the lead name on the bank account, preventing her from sending money without him present.

His wife then ended the call and used location services on his phone to trace his whereabouts, before alerting US authorities.

This was then communicated to the kidnappers, who instantly became agitated. Heath described it “like a light switch being flicked.”

The men then drove him to the nearest airport where he boarded a flight to Madrid before returning to the US.

Heath described the trip as “like the longest and quickest 3 days of my life.”

The case is currently under FBI investigation, with the FBI having informed Heath that another manager had been a victim to the same hoax.

As a result of these cases, the League Managers Association announced that a new measure has been implemented, allowing managers to contact the federation of a country to verify job offers.

In comparison with other African countries, kidnappings are not a prevalent issue in Morocco. In Nigeria, a spate of kidnappings hit the country in November and December 2025, with 300 children abducted from a school in Papiri, Niger State. The children have all since been released.

Daily Mail, Yabiladi, Maghrebi.org