Bernard ‘Bernie’ Ross has not been seen by his family since last month
A family has launched a bid to find a a missing Uefa football chief after he vanished.
Bernard ‘Bernie’ Ross told his wife he was travelling to London to see his sister last month and has not been seen by his family since.
The 51-year-old former head of production for European football’s governing body was spotted in Grasse, on the French Riviera, on October 31.
Detectives have revealed they think he may have since cycled into Switzerland.
His wife Jacinta had said he lost his job with Uefa last year and then he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in January.
He later spent six months in hospital.
According to The Times, his family were previously seeking legal action against Uefa after alleging that ‘work overload and improper management by his superiors are the only possible cause of Mr Ross’s mental breakdown and his development of bipolar disorder at this stage in his life’.
In a series of legal letters seen by the newspaper, the family’s solicitor says that after delivering ‘the most successful coverage of a Uefa Euro tournament yet’ he was promised a promotion to director of television and digital.
However, they claim it did not materialise after he started becoming paranoid and showing signs of mental illness.
Now his family are focusing on finding Mr Ross after they last saw him at 11am on October 18 at their home in Oxford.
Mr Ross left his wallet and mobile phone behind and did not take extra clothes, but was carrying his passport and iPad.
His wife Jacinta had said he lost his job with Uefa (above) last year and then he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in January
A spokesman for Thames Valley Police tonight said in a statement: ‘We are appealing for information to help trace a missing man from Oxford who is believed to be in the South of France.
‘Bernard Ross, aged 51 years, from Oxford, was last seen on October 18 in Oxford.
‘It’s believed that he travelled to the south of France that day and he was in Marseille on October 22.
‘Bernard is described as 5ft 7ins tall and of medium build. He is a fluent French speaker and is believed to be using a bicycle to travel around.
‘It is believed that he was last in Grasse on the October 31 but he may have travelled to Switzerland.’
The MailOnline has contacted Uefa for comment.