A married
Premier League footballer who already has three children by his wife and
mistress has just taken a second bride in his native Cote'Ivoire.
Cheick
Tiote, 28, who earns £45,000 a week playing for Newcastle United,
reportedly wed Laeticia Doukrou in a traditional ceremony earlier this
month, saying taking another wife was 'nothing unusual' given he is a
Muslim.
But
news of the second wedding came as a surprise to his first wife, Madah,
25, who is said to have only found out about it on Facebook. Madah,
who lives with Tiote and their two children in a £1.5million house in a
village outside Newcastle, reportedly fainted with shock when she saw
the photographs of her husband marrying another woman.
Meanwhile the midfielder also has a one-year-old child with mistress, 33-year-old Zimbabwean Nkosiphile Mpofu, known as Nikki.
Wife Number 2: Midfielder Tiote, 28, who is a Muslim, has married Doukrou Laeticia in his native Ivory Coast
And the mistress: Nkosiphile Mpofu, known as Nikki, has a son, Rafael Tiote, by the footballer from Cote d'Ivoire
His agent today confirmed reports he had got married for a second time.
Jean Musampa said: 'I can say that he did get married and that it is his second marriage.
'This is nothing unusual. He is a Muslim.'
The
footballer, who can have four wives under Islamic law, is also said to
have insisted to friends that having several partners is commonplace in
his native Ivory Coast.
A source told The Sun: 'He doesn't see a problem with having two wives.
'It's
perfectly acceptable in his culture. He doesn't see he has done
anything wrong and doesn't know what the fuss is all about.'
But his first wife, Madah, is said to have felt rather differently.
According to Ivorian news website iMatin, Madah wasn't aware of her husband taking a second wife, and found out about it through social media.
They
reported that she fainted when she saw the photos of her husband
marrying another woman - whose name she did not know - on Facebook.
Home: Tiote lives in a large stone farmhouse in a picturesque village near Newcastle popular with footballers
Newcastle
United's Cheick Tiote reportedly says he 'doesn't know what the fuss is
all about'. Right, the footballer appears in court in Newcastle last
year charged with string of motoring offences
The
first Mrs Tiote is now said to have forgiven her husband, but his
33-year-old Zimbabwean mistress, Ms Mpofu, is believed to have recently
ended her three-year affair with the footballer after he allegedly
promised to make her his wife.
While
she was said to have been 'comfortable' with his being married, she
apparently decided to call the relationship off because he 'used me like
a mop'.
Ms
Mpofu was pictured earlier this week leaving a Waitrose store in the
village where Tiote lives with his family, with her son by the
footballer, Rafael.
Newcastle United was not available for comment.
Tiote received interest from Lokomotiv Moscow during the summer and was thought to be keen on a move to Russia.
He remained on Tyneside after Lokomotiv failed to make an acceptable offer, but his contract is set to expire in 2016.
POLYGAMY: COMMON PRACTICE IN PARTS OF AFRICA EVEN WHERE IT'S OUTLAWED
South African President Jacob Zuma has four wives
Polygamy was abolished in the Ivory Coast in 1964.
The
West African country is one of few African countries to have outlawed
the practice, which in theory is punishable by a fine or a jail term of
up to three years.
The practice of men having more than one wife has been blamed as a factor in spiralling rates of HIV in African women.
But men cling tenaciously to what they see as their 'right', whatever the law says.
Local
customs as well as Islam permit a man to have more than one wife, and
it is still common practice among Cote d'Ivoire's population of
22million.
Polygamy tends to be more prevalent among the animist (a form of spiritualism) and the Muslim communities.
Under Sharia law, polygamy is completely legitimate as Muslim men are permitted to take up to four wives.
In Senegal it was reported that nearly 47 per cent of marriages feature multiple women.
South African President Jacob Zuma has four wives and is a vocal supporter of polygamy.
It
is legal in South Africa, Egypt, Eritrea, Morocco and Malaysia. In Iran
and Libya it is legal with the written consent of the first wife. In
other places it is illegal but the law is rarely, if ever, enforced.
Some
anthropologists believe that polygamy has been the norm throughout
human history. In 2003, New Scientist magazine reported that, until
10,000 years ago, most children were fathered by a comparatively small
number of men.
Polygamous
marriages may not be performed in the United Kingdom, and if a
polygamous marriage is performed, the already-married person may be
guilty of the crime of bigamy.
Polygamous
marriages legally performed in another country where the law allows it
are not recognised for pension, immigration or citizenship purposes in
the UK.
It has been estimated that there are as many as 20,000 polygamous Muslim marriages in the UK.
In
October 2013 Tiote was lucky to avoid prison after admitting to
possessing a fake driving licence, for which he was given a seven-month
suspended sentence and 180 hours of unpaid community work.
Judge
James Goss said Tiote, 27, avoided jail only because he pleaded guilty
and added: 'I have no doubt that, using your considerable talent, you
will be able to assist others in the community by encouraging them and
passing on your skills that way.'
The
Ivorian had to be called back to court after prosecutors forgot he
should have been banned from driving after accumulating 12 points.
DAILYMAIL.CO.UK
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