FORMER Premier League star Anel Ahmedhodzic has been forced to deny claims that his wife has been using “black magic” against him.
The bizarre claims come from his father, Mirsad, who the Sheffield United defender has now cut ties with.
Ahmedhodzic recently retired from representing Bosnia-Herzegovina in international football, citing injury woes and below-par medical treatment as his reasons for the move despite being just 25 years old.
According to coach Sergej Barbarez, the defender did not even contact the national team director, Emir Spahic, about his decision.
However, his father has now claimed the abrupt decision was the result of him acting “under the influence of his wife and mother-in-law”.
He said: “No one is a better friend to my son than his parents, but when he listens to the wrong people, what happens to him happens.
READ MORE IN FOOTBALL
“That’s not my son anymore, I don’t consider him my son anymore. I wish him well. The best.
“I fought the whole war, I was wounded three times. I wanted my son to play for the country that I created with my own blood, but he was turned away by bad people who think only of self-interest.”
In turn, Ahmedhodzic released a statement hitting back at his father.
The statement, shared by TV station N1, said: “The only thing anyone wants from their father as a son is support and pride.
Most read in Football
BEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERS
“Unfortunately, I got very little of that. What I got most of the time was manipulation, lies, scams and almost daily bullying.
“This is the type of man who shows his ‘power’ over women, but has never had the guts to stand up to another man.
“I have a very good relationship with my mother and I take care of her financially so to say I don’t care about my ‘parents’ is a straight-up lie, I just don’t care about him.
“He is not a man, he goes after people I care about every time there is something wrong.
“I’m not even gonna go into the stuff he did when I was younger but if you believe his interview, maybe we should interview my mother too about what she has to say about him as a person and father?
“There are TERRIBLE things he has done to people I care about which I will not mention here. There are so MANY reasons why I broke off contact with him.”
Ahmedhodzic once again confirmed his decision to retire from international football, and also said the “whole country has come after me, my wife and son” with “extremely bad insults and abuse”.
The centre-back also denied additional claims from his father that he wanted to leave the Blades, whom he has played for since 2022.
He added it was a “city and club that has given me my best memories in my life including the birth of my son”.
On his international retirement decision, he stated there was “no longer any reason for him to come and play” and wished his former team-mates and the new coaching staff all the best.
He made his international debut on October 8, 2020, under Dusan Bajevic.
One notable Ahmedhodzic incident occurred a year ago when the Football Federation suspended him.
This was due to his refusal to join the national team camp led by Meha Kodro for the European Championship qualifiers against Liechtenstein and Iceland.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
Although this issue was eventually resolved, the defender recently left the training camp for Bosnia’s upcoming matches against the Netherlands and Hungary.
Born in Sweden to Bosnian parents, Ahmedhodzic played 24 games for the national team, scoring one goal against Ukraine in 2021.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
