Brazilian players’ mothers victims in kidnapping wave

A WAVE of kidnappings has rocked Brazilian soccer with the mothers of five players - including all-star strikers Robinho and Luis Fabiano - snatched since November.

For years, footballers seemed to be considered off limits to kidnappers.

But that changed in November, when the mother of ace Santos striker Robinho was kidnapped from a family gathering.

She was freed unharmed five weeks later, after Robinho paid a ransom.

Last Thursday, the mother of FC Porto striker Luis Fabiano was released after more than 60 days in captivity.

The mother of Corinthians defender Marinho, who was abducted on May 3 in Santos, is still being held captive.

“This is a very difficult situation,” Marinho said in a statement after the kidnapping. “I hope to be talking to you again very soon, but with my mum at my side.”

In March, police freed the mother of defender Rogerio, who plays for Portugal’s Sporting Lisbon, three days after she was abducted from her home in Campinas, near Sao Paulo.

A month earlier, the mother of Sao Paulo striker Grafite was kidnapped near Sao Paulo, but freed by police after a day.

Robinho was the only player to pay a ransom. In all other cases, police found and freed the mothers before a ransom was paid.

Robinho paid a ransom reportedly of $81,000, a lot of money in a country where the minimum wage is $121 a month.

“The kidnappers pursue those with a lot of money, it doesn’t really matter who they are,” said Joel Antonio dos Santos, a police investigator with Sao Paulo’s anti-kidnapping unit. “They began targeting players’ mothers because they realized that it was a lucrative deal. Now it has become trendy to go after the players’ money.”

Nine people have so far been arrested in connection with the kidnappings.

But many players are taking their own precautions.

Robinho, reportedly bound for Real Madrid next season, now goes everywhere with two bodyguards by his side. To protect his mother, the striker bought her an armor-plated car.

Luis Fabiano planned to move his entire family to a safer neighbourhood in Campinas, and several players - including Corinthians’ Argentine international Carlos Tevez - have hired private security guards for themselves and their relatives.

Even players abroad have shown concern.

Claudio Pitbull, Fabiano’s teammate at Porto, said the threat of kidnapping was one of the reasons he recently rejected an offer to play for five-time national champion Flamengo in Rio de Janeiro.

He told Flamengo’s official website that “it would be an honour to play for Flamengo, but the risk of playing in Brazil is too great.”