Read what he wrote below...
If I decide to bring out the Part 3 today, it is because my
brother @Kola Adebayor and my other siblings have decided to talk about our
family issues on social medias, through letters to my club, radios…I could
write an autobiography and sell it but I decided to share with you here. Continue..
25 years ago, my big older brother Kola went to Germany and
he became the hope of our family. We all thought he could change the way we
were living. Years after he left Togo, we still had no electricity and no
phones. If he wanted to talk to us, he would call the Atlantic Hotel that was
very close to our house. We would then run to the hotel reception and talk to
him.
When I got the opportunity to go play football in France for
the first time, we needed money to for the flight tickets and other expenses.
My brother was nowhere to be found. Only God knows what he was doing in
Germany.
When I arrived in France, I did all the paperwork with my
team and they allowed me to stay in the academy. A few months later, my brother
wanted to come visit me. I was running out of money and I was living at the
academy. Therefore, I had to borrow money so I could pay for his hotel.
At that
time, my teammate Sega N’diaye from Cameroon was kind enough to lend me some
money. I also had to borrow some more money because I had to give my brother
some money for his trip back to Germany. Keep in mind he is my older brother.
A couple years later, things started to get better. Thank
God, I signed a contract with Metz. Since then, my brother would contact me
whenever it was time to pay his bills. Sometimes, he would say his son is sick…
I had to get used to all this.
Again, I was lucky enough to get an offer from Monaco and I
signed for the football club. One day, Kola and the late Peter Adebayor came to
visit me in Monaco. My two brothers did not let me know they were coming.
Someone said “blood is thicker than water” so I took them in. They arrived
early in the morning and I was on my way to training. When I came back home, we
had a discussion and they wanted to start a car business. Obviously, it
involves a lot of money. I told them that I could help them out as soon as I
get paid next.
At that time, Thierry Mangwa was staying in my apartment
because he was struggling with some personal issues and needed a place to stay.
One day, I came back from training and he was crying. He never told me why. My
brothers could also not explain. Another day, one of my friends Padjoe came to
visit me and as he was leaving the house, I believe I offered him about €500.
My brother Kola noticed that and was very upset. He was trying to understand
why I gave my friend some money right away but not him. My reason was very
simple; the money he (Kola) needed was a huge amount of money that I did not
carry in my house. We went on and had an argument about it.
Another day, after training…I was very tired and decided to
go take a nap. I woke up and a knife was held to my throat. As I opened my
eyes, both of my brothers were there. They were shouting and they claimed that
I was wasting their time. Peter was going mad and Kola was supporting. I asked
them: “Is this the only way to solve this issue? I yes, then kill me and take
the money”.
It’s only at that moment that he put the knife down. After all
this, I found a way out of my own apartment and I called my parents. My mom
suggested that I call the police. That was the only way for me to get back into
my house safely… I had training the next day, by the way. So I did what my mom
said. Police came and they settled down. Again, “blood is thicker than water”,
so I let it go. A few days after, Peter went to visit one of Kola’s friends in
Paris. That means I was left in the house with Kola; for my own safety, I found
a way to get him the money as soon as I could. Only God knows how much I gave
him that day.
A few months after all this, I went back to Togo and I was
surprised when my mom started to ask me why I called the police on my brothers,
she continued and said I am the bad person in the family. That is another story
I will leave for later…
Every time I went back home, everyone kept asking me why my
brother never visited after all these years. Immediately, I organized a flight
for him and he came back to visit the family, at my own expenses.
On April 22nd 2005, we received some bad news. I received a
call and they announced that my father passed away. I was devastated. I called
my big brother and told him that we all have to be there. Again I made sure
there was a flight ticket ready for him. We all went back home and I took care
of everything. A long time before my dad died, he was in the hospital one day
and he asked me to make sure his funeral is not a moment of sadness. He wanted
us to celebrate his life. I leave it to God to decide if the funeral I
organized for my dad was what he wanted. The man who calls himself the “big
man” in the family did not contribute to anything. But he still has the
boldness to say I do not take care of this family.
In 2006, I had another big opportunity to go play for
Arsenal. Since then, my brother has started to come up with series of false
accusations against me.
On July 22nd, 2013 sad news hit us in the family. My brother
Peter Adebayor passed away. His death was sad and I was affected by it. One
thing I find difficult to swallow today is that Kola was accusing me of Peter’s
death. He is saying that the shop I opened for Peter was not good enough. He
kept texting saying that my career would be destroyed.
I did everything for
Peter when he was alive, I brought him to Metz, and Monaco with me. What can
Kola say that he has done for Peter? Nothing. The man did not even show up at
the funeral even after all the money I sent for the trip back home.
He is saying that I also made my mom suffer, but he forgot
that when he was in Germany, at some point I was the one always by my mom’s
side.
As soon as I started to make a living with football, I did everything you
could imagine for our mom. That is normal. But my brother is never satisfied.
He said I bought a shitty car for my mom.
Why can’t he buy a better one? All I want from him is to
take his responsibilities. Since I am not doing it right, he should show the
example as a big brother. He has been in Germany for more than 20 years, but he
never brought our mother there to visit. Even to go back home for a visit is
another struggle. All he keeps saying is that my father said I should build a
house for each one of them. I don’t think my father said that. Does that even
make sense for him or anyone? As a big brother, he is supposed to be doing all
that I am doing for the family.
He should stop hiding and take his
responsibilities. When he came to Europe, he was young enough to become a
football player too. Anyways, some people are drivers here but they are able to
take care of their families. They even bring their parents and other family
members. Why has he not done anything like that but he keeps talking? As a
matter fact, he should at least bring Rotimi, Bidemi or his own son Aziz here
before talking about “taking care of the family”. Actions are louder than
speeches.
A lot of people are saying that I never went to school, but
they forget that it is because we could not afford it. I never blamed my
parents for that. But thank God, today I am able to speak more than 3 languages
and I can send my daughter to school. I am proud of that. People can accuse me
for not going to school, but in the end it is all about who you become and what
you teach yourself. It is also about what life teaches you and what you learn
from it.
Many times I wanted to give up. Ask my sister Iyabo Adebayor
how many times I have called and was ready to commit suicide? I kept these
stories for years… But If I die, no one would know my story, no one would learn
from it… Some people say I should keep these stories private, but someone has
to sacrifice himself; someone has to talk about it. I know people would relate
to my story and others would learn from it. For every one who knows me, I’d do
anything for my country and my people.
Final message from the younger brother to the older brother:
Quit Smoking and Quit Drinking. That was my story.
0 Comments