All I would say to the people who have him is please let him go. He is an old man. He has not done any harm to anyone. I am devastated by this situation.
-John Obi Mikel, on his father's disappearance
We are devastated as well.
I know, we're pretty late with this one. We apologize. Even so, this was something that needed to be said.
As you know, Mikel's father has been missing for a few days now in his home city of Jos, Nigeria. Abduction is feared. Our holding midfielder learned of the situation just hours prior to taking the field against Stoke City on Sunday. He could have excused himself from participation. We all would have understood. He didn't and, quite amazingly, the often-criticized midfielder put in a wonderful performance (as he usually does). This, I think, speaks volumes about the man.
Mikel is missing his father. I can't for the life of me imagine what he's going through at the moment. Yet there he was, putting in a shift for the club. Stunning selflessness.
All I can really say is that I'm truly saddened by this news and, as the club has offered Mikel its full support, the Chelsea Offside will do the same. That's not really all that much, I know, but I just want Mikel to know that we as a community are thinking about him and we all hope this horrible situation ends soon - with a positive conclusion.
Bring Michael Obi home safe. Please.