Monrovia – Following news of a Liberian lady named Nancy Pyne claiming Barcelona and Ivorian midfielder Franck Yannick Kessie as her biological son, a senior official of Ivorian football has termed the information as fake.
By: Christopher C.Walker [email protected] 0777898224/0886723075
Gustave Bailly, who is an Ivory Coast football administrator and West African Football Union (WAFU) coordinator, has termed Madam Pyne’s assertion as untrue. According to Liberia football writer Wleh Bedell, Bailly said in a chat via social media on Wednesday that the story in Liberia about a lady claiming to be the mother of Franck Kessie is untrue. “Look, this needs to stop. That story is untrue,” he said. He further noted that Kessie is his nephew and that the player was 12 years old when his father died, and he took care of him.
“Kessie was 12 years old when his father died, so I took care of him, ensured he went to school, I coached him, and when the Ivorian war came, we left Gangnoa for Abidjan, which is 300 kilometers away from Abidjan,” Gustave noted. He further narrated that the player’s biological mother’s name is Djedje Nathalie, whose Facebook link he forwarded to Bedell. He also said that Kessie has three brothers who are older than him and are in Abidjan. “They never went to school, did not play football, and are a liability to him, Kessie,” Mr. Bailly opined. He also said the player’s mother Nathalie is residing in Abidjan.
“I took him (Kessie) to Stella Football club, then he was invited by Atalanta Bergoma in Italy, then to Cesena also in Italy, then AC Milan, and now Barcelona. He has no link to anyone as a mother in Liberia. Let us not spoil the relationship. Kessie has a foundation. If the lady needs help, we can work it out, but that story is not true,” Gustave said.
When asked why he feels Nancy Pyne is not Kessie’s mother since they look alike (the photo which was sent to him), he laughably said, “we are Africans, we can resemble, we can have big nose, or whatever.” He then added, “you can call the Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports in Liberia, Andy Quamie, he is a Confederation of African Football (CAF) coordinator. He called me last year and told me that there was a story in Liberia that a lady was claiming to be the mother of Kessie. I told him that was not true because the player’s mother is here in Abidjan, and I even told Frank about what Andy Quamie told me.”
In response to Bailly’s statement of speaking with Andy Quamie, the Assistant Sports Minister said, “Yes, Serge is my friend, and I told him about the story last year when Kla Wesley (journalist) broke the news in Liberia, but Serge said the story was untrue and that the player’s mother, Nathalie, is his sister and was in Abidjan. He then averred that he informed Serge that from the photo, the player and the Liberian lady claiming to be his mother look alike, but he said people at times look alike.
Journalist T. Kla Wesley, when contacted, said, “I was the first to break the news. It was a long time ago. I even spoke with the guy who holds Kessie’s boots, Serge, when he was going for practice about Kessie’s mother from Liberia and that he, T. Kla, wanted to talk to the player. They both live in the same house in Abidjan, and he told me he could not do that because the player’s mother is in Abidjan, and there was no need to waste time on that.”
Who’s telling the truth? An anonymous source informed Bedell that the Liberian lady, Nancy Pyne, has a point and is telling the truth. Fresh from the Ivory Coast, the source narrated that the current lady acting as the biological mother of player Kessie, Nathalie, got married to the player’s father after the player left his mother in Sinoe, Liberia, for the Ivory Coast for schooling, as per his father’s saying at the time to his mother, Ma Nancy. The source further revealed that when Kessie was to be unveiled by Barca, the Nathalie lady was preparing to board a plane from Abidjan to attend the ceremony and that when this story drags, foreign news outlets will get involved, and something serious as it relates to “age” will come to the fore.
Back to the man claiming to be the player’s uncle, Bailly, the photo of Ma Nancy and Kessie’s father looks far apart in age, and she is like more than ten years older than the player’s late father, which still makes me wonder what age has to do with a love affair.
Finally, when asked if he could speak to journalists here, or a live interview could be done with him on radio stations here or on Facebook, or whether some journalists could travel to Abidjan to meet with him and probably Kessie, who could be on vacation by June or July this year, his response is still expected.
It can be recalled that Franck Yannick Késsié’s mother, Djedje Nathalie, was invited to Barcelona’s presentation ceremony, as well as his agent, Mr. Atagana, standing together with the president of Barcelona, Laporta. Please help stop those fake news! Investigation continues.