Dutch football coach Mark van Bommel escapes armed robbery at Antwerp home

Mark van Bommel narrowly escaped an armed robbery on Monday night. An armed man was waiting for the Royal Antwerp FC coach in the parking garage under his home in Antwerp, Belgium, NOS reports.

Belgian media believe the robber was targeting the Dutch coach’s car, a Porsche Panamera. Van Bommel saw the robber approaching him with a gun and a flashlight as he drove into the parking garage. He tried to back out but hit another parked car. The robber fled when the car’s alarm went off.

A spokesperson for Royal Antwerp FC confirmed the attempted robbery to NOS. “We will give Mark all the support he needs,” the spokesperson said.

A spokesperson for the Antwerp police told NOS that no one got hurt. “Our teams investigated the area, but a suspect couldn’t be found.”

This is not the first time someone connected to the Dutch football world was targeted by criminals. Two men tried to rob Ajax player Dusan Tadic at his home in Amsterdam-Zuid in July. Home invaders also twice targeted the home of PSV striker Eran Zahavi. In one incident, the culprits tied up Zahavi's wife and children.

But it was the first time for Belgium, Nieuwsblad journalist Pieter-Jan Calcoen said to NOS. “In Belgium, it is the first time this has happened. It is new and therefore big news in Belgium.”