Former Newcastle striker and '90s Premier League icon Faustino Asprilla was forced to flee his home in Tulua, Colombia after masked gunmen entered his home demanding money be paid to their gang boss.
Asprilla, who was recently in the news for launching his own brand of flavoured condoms, explained to Colombian newspaper El Tiempo how he was threatened at gunpoint, and had to leave the area in fear for his family's safety:
They threatened me, they told me to contact their chief because if I didn't they would kill my family and me. I took the decision to leave Tulua for the security of my loved ones. I had to leave my own land, Tulua, as a victim of extortion by a group of anti-socials.
Having last played for Argentinian side Estudiantes de La Plata in 2003, Faustino Asprilla had been living in his home town with his family, but now he feels he can no longer stay there, as he continued:
My family was threatened in my presence, my father, my sisters. I dedicated my life to representing my country abroad, to giving happiness to my Colombian people. When I settled down to rest, to recover the time lost with my family, I'm forced to leave by the back door of my own town.
These sort of incidents are unfortunately common in Colombia, although national police chief Rodolfo Palomino has guaranteed the safety of Asprilla and his family while the case is under investigation.
via BBC.
