For decades, former Loons head coach Adrian Heath has followed the game of football across continents, from the rain-soaked pitches of England to the burgeoning stadiums of Major League Soccer. But as revealed in a harrowing report by The Athletic (paywalled), a recent trip to Morocco meant to secure a high-profile coaching job in Saudi Arabia nearly became his final chapter. What began as a standard professional negotiation turned into a terrifying 24-hour kidnapping that has sent shockwaves through the global football community.
A “perfectly normal” negotiation
The ordeal began in the summer of 2024, when Heath was contacted by a UK-based agent regarding a potential role in the Saudi Pro League. The process followed a familiar rhythm: hours of conversations regarding salary, coaching staff, and club infrastructure. Jane Heath, Adrian’s wife, listened in on the calls, noting that there were no “red flags.”
The trap was finally set when the agent invited Heath to Tangier for an in-person meeting with “the sheikh,” a wealthy club owner who purportedly held business interests in Morocco. Heath arrived on Nov. 18, 2024, expecting a five-star hotel and a new professional opportunity.
The turn into darkness
The deception became clear shortly after Heath was picked up from the Tangier-Ibn Battouta Airport. Instead of the seaside resort he had been promised, his drivers turned off the main highway and led him into a “sketchy” harbor town. He was ushered into a smoke-filled, sparsely furnished apartment where his phone and wallet were immediately seized.
Inside, three men presented the ultimatum: Heath was to pay a ransom well into the six figures. If he refused, he was told he would never see his wife, children, or grandchildren again. The kidnappers demonstrated a chilling level of preparation, citing specific details about his family members to maximize the psychological pressure.
The ransom and the blade
Throughout the night, Heath relied on the composure he had developed over years of managing high-pressure matches. He used the seven-hour time difference between Morocco and the United States to stall, insisting that his wife could not access their bank accounts until the next business day.
The tension peaked when the men held a 15-inch blade to his throat, forcing him to call Jane and demand the money. Despite her terror, Jane made a split-second decision to tell a protective lie: that Adrian was the sole name on the account and she could not move the funds without him.
A family’s digital rescue
The breakthrough came not through negotiation, but through technology and family quick-thinking. While Heath was being held, his daughter-in-law, Kaylyn Kyle, directed Jane to check the “Find My Friends” app. In a critical oversight, the kidnappers had not disabled the location services on Heath’s phone.
Once the family had a screenshot of his exact coordinates, they alerted the FBI and confronted the agent who had arranged the trip. Almost immediately, the mood in the apartment shifted. The kidnappers—realizing their location was compromised—abruptly told Heath to gather his gear. He was driven back toward the airport and shoved out of the car as it sped away.
Safety and a new perspective
Heath managed to book the first available flight to Madrid, finally reaching safety after 24 hours of captivity. Upon his return to Minnesota, he was met by FBI agents and placed under 28 days of protective security.
Today, Heath is speaking out to warn other managers of the “fake football consortium” that targeted him. The League Managers Association (LMA) has since established new protocols to verify international job offers. Despite the trauma, Heath remains determined to return to the sidelines, stating that the experience has only reinforced his love for his family and his desire to finish his career on his own terms.