Former Chelsea midfielder Mikel John Obi has revealed his father was kidnapped during the World Cup.

Obi learned of his father's kidnapping on the eve of Nigeria's defeat to Argentina.

He revealed: "I played while my father was in the hands of a bunch of bandits. I had to suppress that trauma while I was told four hours before the kickoff that he had been kidnapped. I was emotionally distracted and had to make the choice if I was mentally ready to play."

His father was kidnapped on his way to a funeral and released by the police Monday afternoon after being abducted for a week. He was tortured during the abduction and is currently in hospital.

"I was confused and did not know what to do, but decided that I could not abandon 180 million Nigerians," added Obi, now of Tianjin Teda. "I had to shut it down in my head and first represent my country. Only a few good friends knew about it."