Football club pays tribute to ex-player feared murdered in Sweden as police still work to identify bodies
A football club has paid tribute to one of the men believed to have been murdered in Sweden, after bodies of two British men were found in a burned-out car.
Juan Cifuentes and Farooq Abdulrazak, travel agents from north London, were reported missing by their families while on a business trip to Scandinavia.
The pair went to Denmark on Saturday and were expected to return to the UK on Sunday evening, but failed to do so. The news comes after Swedish police said two people, not yet formally identified, were found dead in a burned-out car on Sunday afternoon in Malmö and their deaths are being investigated as a suspected double murder.
Their families issued a plea for information, with fears they are the same two people whose bodies were found in the burned-out car.
Welwyn Garden City FC has paid tribute to Mr Cifuentes, who used to play for the team, calling him a “great person”. Posting on X, a club spokesperson said: “Everyone at the club is saddened and shocked by the news yesterday of the passing of Juan Cifuentes. Juan was part of our double-winning squad in 2014-15. A very good player and a great person. We send our condolences to all his family, friends and ex-teammates. RIP Juan.”
The men reportedly ran a travel company, Empire Holidays. A post on a Facebook page for Empire Holidays on Thursday read: “It is very difficult to say this, but it is with a heavy heart that we inform you that the owner of Empire Holidays (Farooq) has sadly passed away.”
It added: “Please keep Farooq & Juan in your duas and may they reach the highest level of Jannah. Ameen.” The post assured customers that any holidays booked through the company were still active and would go ahead.
Swedish police said the victims were shot on Sunday, with the Toyota Rav4 then set on fire in an industrial area of the city in southern Sweden. Police said they are still working to identify the bodies and have interviewed several witnesses.
According to Swedish national newspaper Aftonbladet, the car had been rented at Copenhagen airport by a British citizen before the driver and the passenger travelled across the Denmark-Sweden border and into the city of Malmo.
Laura Cifuentes, the sister of Mr Cifuentes, told The Sun on Wednesday that there’s “probably (a) 99% chance” that the bodies are her brother and Mr Abdulrazak. But she said: “There’s no confirmation. There’s no confirmation that they’ve been shot. The bodies are still being identified. They were meant to return home and it was meant to be a short business trip.”
A Swedish police spokesman told the PA news agency on Wednesday: “The two people who were found dead in a burned out car on Sunday afternoon have not yet been identified. The bodies are being examined by forensic medicine. The incident is currently being investigated as a murder.
“Several witnesses have been interviewed and the police are interested in further observations and tips. If you have information that could be of interest to the police, call +46 77-114 14 00.”
In a statement issued on Thursday, a spokesperson for the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office said: “We are supporting the families of two British men reported missing in Sweden and are in touch with the local authorities.”