Ajax star Brian Brobbey extorted for years in violent saga that led to friend’s shooting
Dutch football star Brian Brobbey endured a prolonged and violent extortion plot, which involved the bombing of a home and two cars, and ultimately led to his friend being shot and critically wounded. The shocking details of the intimidation scheme were released in an investigative report published by Parool on Friday.
Sources close to the investigation told Parool the case is linked to an Amsterdam criminal figure, 31-year-old Jeymon A. The long time thug known as “Piccalo” is suspected of orchestrating the extortion against Brobbey starting when he was 20.
A. allegedly approached Brobbey during a music festival in December 2022 with a false claim that a group of criminal “Moroccans from Utrecht” were scheming against him, but A. said he stepped in to fix the issue. He then subtly suggested “generous compensation” from the wealthy footballer.
Brobbey had seen A. in Amsterdam, but was apparently unaware that A. had a lengthy rap sheet dating back to his adolescence. He was a known drug trafficker who also took part in rip-and-run robbery schemes targeting other drug dealers, Parool reported.
While the footballer initially brushed off the encounter, the threats against him quickly escalated. In January 2023, heavy fireworks were thrown through the mailbox of Brobbey’s mother-in-law’s home. Two months later, an explosive detonated near one of Brobbey’s cars, and then his sister-in-law’s car was set on fire soon after.
Brobbey’s childhood friend set up a meeting with A. that July to put the matter to rest. The conversation in a car in Amsterdam-Zuidoost turned violent when A. drew a firearm while showing Brobbey’s friend something on his phone.
The friend dashed out of the car, but tripped on the street. A. allegedly shot him several times while he struggled on the ground. A bulled punctured the victim’s small intestine, and another struck him in the buttocks, leading to heavy blood loss. He was transported to an area hospital and rushed into emergency surgery, and managed to pull through.
The victim was largely uncooperative in the police investigation, fearing further reprisal. According to the newspaper, the full extent of the threats only became known to Ajax after the shooting and a subsequent WhatsApp message sent to Brobbey demanding 150,000 euros within a few weeks. Despite Brobbey’s initial reluctance to involve the club or police, his phone was later seized by detectives at Schiphol Airport, bringing the situation to the attention of Ajax’s senior management.
The newspaper claimed Brobbey consistently maintained the issue was a private matter and declined assistance, but even still, the club’s response deserves further scrutiny, sources told Parool. They suggest professional clubs mandate players report major private problems and file police reports when they are victims of crimes.
Jeymon A. was found guilty in the shooting in November, and was ordered to serve 10 years in prison. This was on top of the nine-year sentence judges handed down in a separate violent case that went to court just after the shooting.
Brobbey's attorney, Leon de Kleef, said to Parool that his client "does not wish to cooperate with this publication in any way shape, or form."
“‘As Parool is aware, my client was convicted of a shooting incident in 2023 and two other facts, which are unrelated,’ the attorney Veerle Hammerstein said on behalf of Jeymon A. "An appeal has been lodged against this ruling. Although the file mentions the extortion of Brian Brobbey as a possible motive for this shooting incident, further investigation by the police has yielded no evidence that my client was involved. He has, therefore, never been prosecuted for this type of extortion practice."
Brobbey has just finished a very disappointing season at Ajax. The 23-year-old scored just four goals in 30 matches in the league as Ajax finished the season with an agonizing second place.
