Cheick Tiote, who earns £45,000 (Ksh 6,544,568.91) a week playing for Newcastle United, reportedly wed Laeticia Doukrou in a traditional ceremony this month, despite already being married to first wife Madah, 25.
The 28-year-old midfielder, who currently lives with Madah and their two children in a £1.5million mansion in Ponteland near Newcastle, also has a one-year-old child with mistress Nikki Mpofu.
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.”
It is reported that his 33-year-old Zimbabwean mistress Ms Mpofu recently ended her three-year affair with the footballer after he allegedly promised to make her his wife.
The Sun reported that she was ‘comfortable’ with him being married but decided to call the relationship off because he ‘used me like a mop’.
She was pictured earlier this week leaving a Waitrose store in Ponteland, Newcastle, with her and Tiote’s son Rafael.
Tiote was spotted a day earlier leaving his home in the same village with his first wife Madah, who is said to have forgiven him for marrying another woman.
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.
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.
Newcastle United player Cheick Tiote arrives at court for fraud…
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.
-By DailyMail