Sunderland striker Brian Brobbey went through a terrifying ordeal at the hands of a convicted criminal and drug dealer. The man allegedly tried to extort £130,000 from him.
Brian Brobbey targeted by criminals in Amsterdam (Image: George Wood/Getty Images)
Sunderland striker Brian Brobbey has been targeted by criminals who allegedly tried to blackmail his family and blackmail him by shooting dead a close childhood friend. Brobby joined Sunderland from Ajax in the summer, freeing himself from a traumatic period in Amsterdam.
Sunderland signed the Dutchman on transfer deadline day in September in a deal worth £21.5 million. The move comes just months after Blobby’s nightmare became public in the Netherlands.
For the past two and a half years, the 24-year-old, his family and friends have been targeted by a notorious Amsterdam gang. The gunman, known only as Jamon A in Dutch court documents, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for the attempted manslaughter of Blobby’s friend and possession of a firearm and illegal drugs. Mr Blobby has not been accused of any wrongdoing.
Although he has never been charged with extortion against Blobby, The Athletic uses reporting from Dutch newspaper Het Parole and publicly available documents to explain the extent of the incident surrounding the Sunderland striker.
Join us on Facebook! For the latest news, analysis and more on our Mirror Football Facebook page
read more: Manager Jurgen Klopp’s response to Manchester United and England, agent releases statementread more: Keith Andrews’ Macclesfield display gesture in stark contrast to their Premier League rivals
Blobby, who grew up in the Amsterdam suburb of Zuidoost, was attending a music festival called Valhalla in December 2022 when he was approached by Jamon A. The suspect allegedly told Blobby that a Utrecht gang was looking for him and that he had solved the problem and needed to pay him.
The player, who recently returned to his boyhood club Ajax from RB Leipzig, was allegedly not paid and was followed by intimidation tactics. Fireworks were dropped from her mother-in-law’s mailbox, explosives were thrown into Blobby’s car, and her sister-in-law’s car was set on fire.
Later, Blobby’s childhood friend arranged to meet Jamon A. and was shot in the buttocks and small intestine. He needed emergency surgery to save his life, but later texted a friend: “I took the bullet for him (Blobby).”
Brian Brobby had to endure a terrifying ordeal during his time at Ajax (Image: Peter Lous/Getty Images)
Make mirrors your first choice. Click here to enable or add us as a preferred source in your Google search settings
Shortly after the shooting, Mr Blobby received a message saying that if he did not pay €150,000 (£130,000), “we will deal with it in another way”. There is no evidence that he paid.
During this terrifying ordeal, Blobby did his best to keep things under wraps and away from his day job. As he continued to score goals for Ajax, Jamon A. was arrested on unrelated drug trafficking charges and sentenced to nine years in prison in September 2024. He was later sentenced again for the shooting of Blobby’s friend.
Brian Brobbey has been a key player for Sunderland this season (Image: Charlotte Wilson/Offside/Getty Images)
“As Het Parole is aware, my client was convicted of the 2023 shooting incident and two other facts unrelated to this incident. An appeal of this conviction has been filed, but a substantive hearing has not yet been scheduled,” said Veal Hammerstein, attorney for Jamon A.
“Although the file mentions threats by Brian Blobby as a possible reason for this shooting, further investigation by police yielded no evidence that my client was involved. He has never been charged with this type of extortion.”
Brobby has been a key player for Sunderland this season, appearing in 21 Premier League games and contributing five goals. The Black Cats sit 11th in the table after promotion from the Championship and Brobby, who has not played for his country since 2023, is aiming to make the Netherlands squad for this summer’s World Cup.
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive Mirror Football content every day. Community members also receive special offers, promotions, and advertisements from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check it out whenever you like. If you are interested, please read our privacy notice.
Sky Sports Premier League and EFL package discounts
£49
£35
sky
Get the deal here
Sky has reduced the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle ahead of the 2025/26 season, saving members £336 on their bill and offering more than 1,400 live matches from Premier League, EFL and more.
Sky will broadcast at least 215 live Premier League games this season, with an increase of up to 100 more.
