London - A Premier League footballer has claimed it is ‘perfectly acceptable’ to have more than one wife after he married a second woman.
Newcastle United midfielder Cheick Tioté, who lives in England with his first wife and their two children, flew to his native Ivory Coast to marry for the second time this summer.
But the Muslim player has told friends that his faith means the second marriage is ‘perfectly acceptable’, while his agent said Tioté’s personal situation was ‘not unusual’.
The millionaire’s complex love life has a further twist – an angry mistress with whom he has a 12-month-old child has accused him of breaking a promise to marry her.
Tioté’s polygamy unravelled when pictures of the Ivory Coast wedding emerged online, to the surprise of his wife and mistress in the UK. The first Mrs Tioté is understood to have fainted from shock when she found out.
Under Islamic law, men are allowed to marry up to four wives, but bigamy is prohibited in Britain and carries a potential prison sentence of seven years.
Bosses at Newcastle United have spoken to the player about the situation although it is understood that he will not face disciplinary action.
Tioté, who earns £45,000 a week, lives with his first wife Madah, 25, and their two children in a £1.5?million farmhouse in Ponteland, a village outside Newcastle.
It is understood the 28-year-old wed his second wife, Doukrou Laeticia, this summer in the West African country’s Abidjan region where he grew up.
Photographs show the footballer sitting beside his new bride during the ceremony.
He has reportedly told friends that he does not believe there is an issue with his actions.
A source told The Sun: ‘It’s perfectly acceptable in his culture. He doesn’t know what all the fuss is about.’
The footballer’s family was left in even more turmoil when, shortly after the second marriage came to light, Tioté’s mistress confronted his first wife at their home.
Nikki Mpofu, 33, who has been in a secret relationship with the footballer for three years, claimed that Tioté had promised to marry her. He is named as the father of her son Rafael on the child’s birth certificate, with his occupation stated as ‘professional footballer’.
She became infuriated after seeing pictures of the ceremony posted online by news websites in the Ivory Coast and is believed to have ended the relationship. Miss Mpofu, who lives in a £500,000 house only two streets from the footballer’s home, was aware that Tioté had one wife but was led to believe that she lived in Africa. She told a friend: ‘I was stunned when I saw he had married a second wife. He told me he would marry me.
‘He met my mum and said he’s permitted to have several wives. I was comfortable with that. I never thought he’d marry someone else behind my back.’
When Miss Mpofu took her young son to confront Tioté’s first wife last week, his spouse immediately phoned the footballer and demanded he return home. According to the friend, she told him: ‘You clearly have a big family. I don’t think you can keep count of your wives any more.’
Tioté’s agent Jean Musampa said: ‘He did get married and that is his second marriage. This is nothing unusual. He is a Muslim.’ Both Tioté and Newcastle United refused to comment yesterday. – Daily Mail