Israeli national soccer team striker Eran Zahavi pulled out of a Dutch first division game on Sunday after his family was reportedly robbed at gunpoint.
Zahavi already traveled with his side PSV Eindhoven to an Eredivisie (Dutch first division) away match against Willem II when his team announced on its Twitter account the striker was not included in the final listing for the match due to "personal reasons".
According to Dutch media reports, two robbers broke into the Israeli soccer star's home after one of them pretended to be a delivery person.
Zahavi's wife and three children were present at the time of the robbery, during which one of the burglars threatened them at gunpoint and tied them using a rope. The suspects then moved on to cut the hair of Zahavi's wife Shai and hit one of the children. None of them have sustained injuries.
Dutch police have launched an investigation into the incident.
Zahavi arrived in the Netherlands in September 2020 after a highly successful spell playing for Chinese Superleague outfit Guangzhou R&F. His wife and children reside in Amsterdam despite the city being located an hour and a half drive from Eindhoven.
Zahavi has found the back of the next 16 times in all competitions this season, ten of which came in the Eredivisie — pushing his side close to securing a spot in next season's Champions League — and another six in the Europe League. He has also provided three assists to his teammates, all of which came in the domestic league.