‘Very worried’: Leeds United fan goes missing while travelling to World Cup - as family launch urgent appeal
“Please share Mick's photo. We need to get him home.”
A well-known Leeds United fan has gone missing while travelling to the World Cup, sparking an urgent appeal from his family.
Michael ‘Little Mick’ Hewitt, who is described as a “familiar face to lots of Whites fans”, was due to arrive in Boston to watch England’s second group stage game earlier this month. He left Leeds on Saturday, June 20, and was making the journey to America via Barcelona.
His family last heard from him in the early hours of Sunday, June 21, after landing in Spain.
In a widely shared post on social media, Gary Hewitt wrote: “Please could I ask for help in locating my brother, Michael Hewitt?
“Known to many as "Little Mick", particularly within the Leeds United community, he will be a familiar face to lots of Whites fans across the globe, having followed the Club home and away for decades.
“On Saturday 20th June, Mick left Leeds, heading to Boston, USA for one of England's World Cup group games, travelling via Barcelona. He doesn't seem to have made it to Boston, and our last contact with him was from Barcelona in the early hours of Sunday morning, 21st June. Since then, his phone has been out of service and he hasn't posted any updates on social media.”
He continued: “As you can imagine, we are now very worried for his safety. Mick has been reported missing, and a case raised with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, reference number: 02470905. Interpol have been alerted, so we should soon know if he travelled onwards to the USA or remained in Barcelona.
“The UK police reference is 20260628/1183.
“If anyone has seen Mick since Sunday 21st June, or had any contact with him since then, please could you let ourselves or the FCDO know? Thank you.
“Please share Mick's photo. We need to get him home.”
West Yorkshire Police said: “We have received a missing person report in relation to a man from Leeds. The report was received at 3.09pm on Sunday 28 June.”