Friends say he was last seen at Club Sauvage in the early hours of Sunday and was due to fly home that night, but has not returned to his hotel — with police and the British Embassy now informed
Friends of an England supporter who went missing in Barcelona during World Cup celebrations have issued an urgent appeal for information. Dan Musgrave was last seen at about 6.30am on Sunday at Club Sauvage, a nightclub in the Catalan capital, hours after England’s quarter-final victory over Norway. He was due to fly back to the UK on Sunday night but has not returned to his hotel to collect his belongings. A missing persons report has been filed, and the British Embassy has been made aware.
Ella Beetham, one of his friends, raised the alarm in a social media post on Sunday evening. “Our friend Dan Musgrave has been missing since last night in Barcelona,” she wrote. “He was last seen at Sauvage at 6.30am this morning.”
According to his friends, Mr Musgrave was wearing a blue England football shirt when he was last seen.
In a later post, Joe Bannister asked the public to help “find our friend Dan, full name Daniel Musgrave”. He wrote: “He was supposed to fly home tonight (SUN) but has not been back to his hotel to collect any belongings. His phone has likely been lost or stolen and we have not been able to contact him.”
The group has reported the disappearance to local officers. “Police and the British Embassy have been made aware and a missing persons report has been filed,” Mr Bannister added. “If you have any information please get in touch with the police and here on Facebook.”
As of Sunday evening there had been no confirmed update on Mr Musgrave’s whereabouts, and no public bulletin naming him had appeared on the news feed of the Mossos d’Esquadra, the Catalan police force.
Last seen at Plaça Reial nightclub
Club Sauvage sits at 7 Plaça Reial in Barcelona’s Ciutat Vella district. The venue’s official website says its club sessions run late into the night, and lists Liceu on the Metro’s L3 line and Jaume I on the L4 as the nearest stations, with night-bus routes N9, N12 and N15 serving the area. The underground venue occupies the premises of the former Sidecar Factory Club, which it says were relaunched under the Sauvage name after improvements to the sound system, facilities and soundproofing.
What UK guidance says about Britons missing abroad
Official government advice states that when a British national goes missing overseas, the case should also be reported to police in the UK, who can contact the relevant foreign force through Interpol. Guidance from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office adds that families can approach banks, building societies or internet providers to establish when and where an account was last accessed, although police authorisation may be needed — a step that may be relevant given his friends’ belief that his phone has been lost or stolen.
The FCDO can raise a missing person’s case with the local authorities and stay in contact with relatives, but its guidance makes clear that the search itself remains a matter for the local police. Consular assistance is available to British nationals abroad regardless of whether they normally live in the UK.
Leeds fan found safe in the city weeks earlier
Barcelona was the scene of another search for a missing British football fan only weeks ago. Michael Hewitt, a 65-year-old Leeds United supporter, was found safe in the city after ten days, with reports saying he had lost his phone, was unaware an international search was under way and had carried on watching England matches in local bars. His case is unconnected to Mr Musgrave’s disappearance.
Norwegian teenager killed days earlier
The appeal for Mr Musgrave comes just days after a young football fan reported missing in Spain was confirmed to have been killed. Nikoline, a 17-year-old from Norway, disappeared on Monday following a night out celebrating her country’s World Cup win over Brazil. Her mother launched an appeal on social media and reported her missing to police, with the appeal stating that the teenager had last been seen at the Funky Buddha nightclub in Puerto Banus at around 4am.
On Tuesday, The Sun reported it had been confirmed that she died just before 5.30am on the day she vanished. She was struck on the A7 motorway near Cala de Mijas, about a 30-minute drive east of the upmarket port close to Marbella. A witness who called emergency services said a woman had been hit by a lorry whose driver fled the scene.
