By Gabriel Princewill-
Former England footballer and television presenter John Fashanu(pictured) has begun divorce proceedings against his third wife, in an acrimonious break up, following his announcement on social media last month that their marriage had come to an end., describing her as his ”soon to become ex-wife”.
This publication heard that divorce papers were sent to Vivian last week, drawing a line over a three year marriage, and an 11 year relationship. Fashanu’s decision follows a highly public dispute involving his wife and his daughter, John alleges that his wife has been exploiting him and becoming too involved in his financial affairs, as well as causing a deep divide between him and his daughter.
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Among the profound allegations by Fashanu, are claims of exploitation, infidelity and intimidation. The allegations are vehemently disputed by his wife. The head coach staff of the former footballer’s football academy in Abuja has supported the allegations of the footballer, in what good be a messy affair. Vivian insists it is all part of a collectively dubious plan to freeze her out of huge business remunerations which she claims she is entitled to.
Under Section 15(2)(c of Nigeria’s Matrimonial Causes Act, a marriage can be treated as having broken down irretrievably if ‘the respondent has behaved in such a way that the petitioner cannot reasonably be expected to live with the respondent’. The former gladiator’s third wife has also accused her husband’s daughter of orchestrating the announcement of a divorce, as a guise for her to wreak revenge on the first video her father posted in May, nullifying claims she had made in the UK Daily Mail , as well as for the purposes of striking a lucrative deal on a land in Abuja that has been the subject of litigation for nearly two years. Amal appears to be united with her father in the view that he is being financially exploited and abused in the relationship, and needs to get out of it. The Ghanaian based British born business woman, visited Nigeria for the third time in a space of a few months, with her husband, both of whom stayed at a five star Hilton hotel during their one week stay in Abuja.
That stay culminated in all three of them flying from Nigeria to Ghana without Vivian’s knowledge, leading to a period of fun and relaxation for the trio, and ultimately a divorce announcement on social media. But Vivian insists the whole fracas is over money and property on her husband’s daughter’s side. Vivian told The Eye Of media.Com: ” All the allegations being made will have to be proved in court, so I am not worried. It is one thing to make an allegation, it is another thing to prove it.
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The daughter came to Abuja(capital city of of Nigeria) and tricked my husband out, saying they were going for lunch, and kept him away for days, before taking him to Ghana. Her motive all along was to get him to sign a much reduced deal for the land and try and undo the first video he posted by manipulating him to do another one. Whatever happens, he will have to come to court to implement this divorce. The courts is where we get justice, so we will wait until then’.
‘Amal has blocked my number on his phone, meaning that she is forcefully preventing us from communicating. Amal fought back, accusing Vivian of being a ‘gold digger’, who is exploiting her father’s business and financial resources, and out to get what she can from him. She said Vivian is just using her father, describing her as ”greedy” and a ”cheat”.
John’s third wife, Vivian Belford, accuses ex daughter of sparking marital crisis
Image:Supplied
The entire upheaval began in June this year, after Mr. Fashanu went on social media to refute the contents of a Daily Mail article published last May that made reference to an alleged deteriorating health of the former England international star, and him apparently having had five wives. His daughter had expressed alarm at the sheer loss of weight of her father, attributing to a possible ‘mysterious condition’.
Whilst denouncing the article on instagram in June, the former England Ace, made some disparaging comments about his daughter Amal, and her mother, the extent to which his daughter was convinced his wife motivated the video. John has said that he was incited by his wife to pull the trigger hard during the video, whilst he was still feeling bruised by the Daily Mail article.
John Fashanu, relaxing in Ghana with his daughter Image: Amal Fashanu
Her come back was to be unpredictably explosive, with a month’s long buzzing holiday with her father in Ghana, bolstered by an open apology and an unedifying, but poignant divorce announcement on facebook, which the former gladiator star says he intends to see through.
Vivian has spoken to Mr Fashanu a couple of times in Ghana, but has had no phone access to her husband since he left Nigeria,- a measure agreed by the former player, to prevent her putting psychological pressure on him, whilst the divorce process goes on. Vivian remains adamant that the marital crisis, including the lack of communication access, is all engineered by his daughter, in order to benefit from the land deal, but Amal insists her father’s well being is her sole objective, not money.
Deal
Fashanu entered a deal to sell a plot of land with a number of potential buyers in 2024, later entering separate agreements with other buyers once their contract period had lapsed. They all who also reneged on their agreement. According to details of the case, the former gladiators presenter had sought to engage contractors and prospective partners to carry out enhancement work on the roughly 9 acres of land, but those parties also reneged on their agreements. A breakdown in relations quickly escalated to court battles, first with the Nigerian police, following an arrest allegedly instigated by one of the aggrieved contractors, then subsequently, one of the prospective buyers, after their representative seized the Certificate of Occupancy(C of O), forcing separate legal suits on the matter. In the midst of the aforementioned cases, the potential buyers have sought to sell the land, now worth 3bn naira (£1.8m)for 1.8bn.(£800,000) Fashanu’s daughter and his law.
Workers stand on portion of land in Abuja which has been subject of legal dispute
Mr. Fashanu told The Eye Of Media.Com on phone that his wife had become far too involved and controlling in his business affairs, and was certain he was being exploited by his wife, whom he accused of sowing discord between himself and his daughter.
John has over a dozen properties in Abuja, and an ongoing trading business in the vicinity of one of those properties. His wife and daughter were both directors in his Black sea Investment business- an investment company established in 2005, investing in real, corporate and personal property. His daughter was originally ejected from the company, following the massive fall out in May, but is said to have now been re-instated during her latest trip to Nigeria, after which she and her father both flew to Ghana. Vivian, meanwhile, has been shut out of the company, following the divorce announcement, potentially raising issues about her contractual shares in the company- one of the allegations of exploitation underpinning this divorce.
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