Carlos Tevez's father kidnapped, then released

The lawyer for Carlos Tevez said the father of the Argentina and Juventus star was kidnapped on Tuesday, but was released eight hours later and appeared to be physically unharmed.

The lawyer for Carlos Tevez said the father of the Argentina and Juventus star was kidnapped on Tuesday, but was released eight hours later and appeared to be physically unharmed.

Lawyer Gustavo Galasso said the forward's father was "is in good shape" as he announced the news about Segundo Tevez to reporters in Argentina. He asked television stations not to transmit live from the home of the player's family outside the Argentine capital.

Police did not immediately provide information about the incident. But Argentine TV station C5N said Tevez was set free after a payment of $400,000. Galasso did not confirm this.

In Italy, Juventus said that it gave Tevez permission to travel for "family reasons," but reports in Italy said he was not going back to Argentina following the release.

Local reports said Tevez's father was kidnapped by unknown assailants around sunrise but offered few other details.

Tevez played for Argentina in the 2006 and 2010 World Cups, but was not picked this time despite being one of the top players in the Italian league. Germany defeated Argentina 1-0 in the World Cup final earlier this month.