MEXICO CITY, Jul 20 (SW) - The coach of popular Mexican football club Cruz Azul is feared to have been abducted on Tuesday after being taken away at gunpoint following a training session yesterday.

Following a team practice, Rubén Omar Romano was reportedly wrestled into a vehicle by unidentified men and has not been seen or heard from since.

"They tell us there was a problem -- five people arrived, they forced him from the van (Romano's gray-colored BMW van) and took him away in another vehicle," said Cruz Azul vice president Alfredo Álvarez.

Mexican media outlets reported that Romano's vehicle, from which he was removed before the abduction, had several holes in it, presumably made by bullets, although there is no indication Romano, 47, was shot. The back window of the vehicle was also shot out.

Sports figures in Latin and South America are often targets of abductions due to the amount of money made by the players. Mexico is second only to Colombia in kidnappings and players' families are often the victims of abductions. Also, families of professional baseball players in the United States are targets.