SOCCER star Patrick Vieira and his family were GASSED and knocked out by robbers who then looted their villa.
The gang pumped gas into the air conditioning system of the former Arsenal idol’s hideaway in the south of France.
Midfield maestro Vieira, 29, his wife Cheryl, 37, and 17-year-old daughter Cheries were all rendered unconscious.
They woke the next morning with shocking headaches — to find the raiders had snatched jewels and valuables worth thousands of pounds.
The gang made their getaway from the Cannes pad in Frenchman Vieira’s £40,000 Mercedes ML500 — found abandoned in nearby Nice yesterday.
The family’s ordeal happened the night before Vieira, who now plays for Italian team Juventus, was due to join a training camp for France’s World Cup squad.
Groggy Vieira called cops before heading to the camp.
Doctors examined him before giving him the all-clear to train.
A source close to the case said: “Patrick is taking this very seriously. It was a very frightening experience for them all.
“The gang gassed the air conditioning to make sure everyone inside was unconscious and they would not be disturbed.
“The family don’t know what time the burglars struck because they are not sure how long they were knocked out for.
“Cheryl is struggling to come to terms with it but says she will not move out of the villa because she is determined not to let the gang beat her.”
Another source said: “They all woke up with incredibly bad headaches. Forensic police were able to confirm gas had been pumped in.”
The raid is the latest in a long line of gas attacks in France.
British tourists Michael and Christine Gates were robbed by thieves who pumped fumes into their campervan in Burgundy three years ago.
Police believe an ether-based gas or spray was used.
The previous year Sun fashion experts Trinny Woodall and Susannah Constantine were robbed at a pal’s villa in Cannes after a gang knocked them out with chloroform.
There have also been reports of mobsters gassing holidaymakers and truckers around Lyon and Dijon.
From www.thesun.co.uk
