Mystery of fan's disappearance on World Cup trip

The family of a Leeds United and England fan who has gone missing while on a World Cup trip have said they feel "helpless".

Michael Hewitt, 65, has not been in contact with relatives or friends since 21 June, when he was visiting Barcelona before planning to catch a flight to Boston the next day.

He was intending to watch England play Ghana on 23 June, but it is not known whether he arrived in the US or travelled elsewhere.

His brother Gary said there were "so many unknowns" over the well-known Whites supporter's movements after they last heard from him.

Gary said Michael, nicknamed Little Mick, made a late decision to travel independently to the World Cup in Boston and did not share detailed plans of his flights, accommodation or match arrangements.

He added: "He always meets up with friends, Leeds friends, but also England fans."

Michael is an experienced traveller who often watches football overseas, as well as following Leeds United around the country.

He usually keeps in contact with family and friends by text message or by posting updates of grounds he visits on Facebook.

The retired trade union official has been a fan of Leeds United since the 1960s and attended their matches around the world.

Gary has reported Michael missing to West Yorkshire Police, who visited his home in Adel, west Leeds, to confirm he had not returned to the property.

Interpol have also begun attempts to try and find him. Spanish police and the British consulate have also offered assistance.

The family have made their own inquiries and managed to track down CCTV footage that confirmed Michael had arrived in Barcelona. His most recent Facebook post was also a photo taken in the city.

"We got in touch with the last bar we knew Mick attended in Barcelona, the manager remembers him and stored the CCTV," he said.

Gary and Michael's sister, Jan McCluskey, spoke to the man, who said that Michael did not look intoxicated or unwell when he left the bar at around midnight.

"It's so worrying, and we feel so helpless being potentially thousands of miles away. There are so many uncertainties," Gary added.

Gary said it was possible that Michael had flown to a destination elsewhere in the US or even remained in Spain.

"It's not beyond Mick to think 'well, I've missed the Ghana match, let's fly to New Jersey'."

However, Gary said that they had found a website which logged entry and exit to and from the USA and it showed Mick did not travel to Boston as planned, so he believed it was "highly likely" his brother never left Barcelona.

He has supplied his brother's passport details to Interpol, but said it had still proved difficult to establish whether he had left Spain and that investigations so far have been slow.

Gary added that the Leeds United fanbase had been supportive in sharing appeals for Michael's whereabouts.

"That whole community, they've been incredible with the response and amount of shares.

"It's all really appreciated, if anyone that can share any little bit of information, it could be just that one little thing that lets us get Mick back home."

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