Netherlands striker Brian Brobbey was once involved in a 150k blackmail scheme

XtraTime Newsdesk: Brian Brobbey’s name is now on everyone’s lips. Scoring two goals in a big World Cup game does that to you. The Sunderland forward had a good season in the PL and is now repeating it for his country. His stock is rising and shows no sign of falling. Yet, things were not always rosy for him.

He was the target of violent extortion threats involving arson, explosions and a shooting that tormented him till last year.

Brobbey came after he allegedly refused to pay €150,000 to an Amsterdam criminal who claimed to have “solved a problem” for him. The plot reportedly began when Brobbey was approached by Jeymon A., a notorious Antillean-Amsterdam criminal known in the underworld as 'Piccalo'. On the night of December 17-18, 2022, A. met with Brobbey at a concert at Valhalla - a music festival. A. asked Brobbey to step aside for a private conversation, claiming that "Moroccan criminals from Utrecht" were looking for him. A. assured the Ajax star that he had already solved this fabricated problem, subtly suggesting that a "generous compensation" would be a reasonable exchange.

Brobbey didn't adhere to A.'s demands, a series of planned attacks began. On the night of 15 January 2023, heavy fireworks were thrown through the letterbox of Brobbey's mother-in-law's house. Two months later, on the night of 18 March 2023, an explosive detonated in Brobbey's car, and his sister-in-law's car was set on fire a month later.

The matter dramatically escalated when Brobbey's childhood friend went to meet A. During this meeting, A. shot Brobbey's friend three times, rupturing his intestine. A week later, Brobbey received a text message demanding €150,000, threatening that A. would "handle things differently" if he didn't pay. Text messages between Brobbey and his friend provided the gist of the situation to the detectives investigating the shooting. However, Brobbey initially denied everything, wanting to keep it confidential and to avoid further escalation.

A. was eventually arrested by the police for a different matter and, on 21 November 2024, he prosecutor demanded an eight-year prison sentence for him. Importantly, the details of Brobbey's blackmail have been provided to the court for a more thorough analysis of the case against A.

Het Parool claims Brobbey rejected offers of help from the Amsterdam club, insisting he would deal with the coercion himself. The police found no evidence that Brobbey had paid any money to Jeymon A, who was sentenced in November 2024 to 10 years in prison for the attempted murder of Brobbey’s friend, firearms offences and drug trafficking.

The fact that he went through these dark times and become the player he is becomes a testament to his character and how one can overcome any tragedy and situation if there is a will and a way to do so

(Photo Courtesy: OnsOranje/Twitter)