The stepfather of Argentine football (soccer) star Carlos Tevez was kidnapped early Tuesday on the outskirts of Buenos Aires, but was released about eight hours later.
The lawyer for Tevez said the player's stepfather appeared to be unharmed, although police did not immediately provide information about the incident. Argentine television station C5N said Juan Alberto Cabral was set free after a payment of $400,000, but the lawyer did not confirm that and other local media reported a ransom as low as $5,000.
Cabral raised Tevez after the player's biological father was killed when he was young.
Tevez was training with his Italian club Juventus in Europe when he received word of the kidnapping. He was given permission to leave the club but decided not to after learning of his stepfather's release.
Last year, two players for the River Plate football club in Buenos Aires were victims of a carjacking and a so-called "express kidnapping." The two were freed after their car and belongings were taken.
