Scare for Lamela ahead of Spurs home debut as his 18-year-old brother is held by kidnappers in Argentina

Erik Lamela had a scare on the eve of his home debut for Tottenham when his younger brother Axel was kidnapped by armed carjackers in Buenos Aires.

Lamela, who moved to White Hart Lane from Roma for a club record £30million this summer, came on as a late substitute in the 2-0 win over Norwich.

But his preparations were interrupted on Friday by news that 18-year-old Axel was taken at gunpoint in the Vicente Lopez area of the Argentine capital, according to reports in Italy.

After being held prisoner for several hours, the kidnappers released him in exchange for a ransom of 5,000 pesos - which equates to about £550.

Police don't believe the kidnapping was because of Axel's identity or family connections, but that they were simply attracted by his BMW.

They used Axel's mobile phone to call his family and demand the money, and released him late on Friday evening after the payment was made.

Older brother Brian Lamela said: 'They told us to get the ransom money and make sure the police were not involved. They came to our front door to collect the money.

'They did not cover their faces and the security cameras at our house recorded them.

'My brother is calm. All of us think it was a random incident - they simply kidnapped him for the car and nothing else.'

Incidents of this nature are common in South America and the families of famous football players have been targeted in the past.

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