An English football fan has disappeared while en route to the United States for the World Cup, prompting fears among his family that he may have gone missing during a stopover in Spain. Michael Hewitt, 65, was last in contact with his family on June 21, a day after departing the United Kingdom. He was scheduled to fly to Boston, where England played Ghana in a World Cup match.
His family has not heard from him since he reportedly left a bar in Barcelona around midnight. "He doesn’t seem to have made it to Boston, and our last contact with him was from Barcelona," his brother Mike Wakefield stated. "Since then, his phone has been out of service and he hasn’t posted any updates on social media. As you can imagine, we are now very worried for his safety."
Another brother, Gary, suggested that Hewitt, known affectionately as "Little Mick," might have altered his travel plans. "It’s not beyond Mick to think ‘Well, I’ve missed the Ghana match, let’s fly to New Jersey,'" Gary told the BBC, referencing England's subsequent match against Panama. "It’s so worrying, and we feel so helpless being potentially thousands of miles away."
The British Foreign Office and Interpol have confirmed active missing person cases are underway and are seeking information on Hewitt. "We are supporting the family of a British man reported missing in Spain and are in contact with the local authorities," a spokesperson for the Foreign Office said.