Mo Farah 'pursued for cash' by man whose name he was given when trafficked to the UK as a child

6 December 2024, 12:50

Mo Farah is being hounded for payouts by the man whose name he took when he was trafficked to the UK, according to reports.

Farah, 31, was born Hussein Abdi Kahin in Somaliland, and was smuggled to the UK as a nine-year-old under the name of another boy, called Mohamed Farah.

He was forced into child labour and did not even attend school for the first few years he was in the country.

Farah only revealed the truth about his identity and how he came to the country in 2022 amid fears he could lose his British citizenship.

He offered to help the man whose name he took, but the relationship devolved into emotional blackmail, according to the Sun - leaving the Olympic star "sad".

Read more: Mo Farah bows out as London Marathon record smashed by Kenyan athlete Kelvin Kiptum

Read more: Mo Farah reveals he was illegally trafficked to UK from Somalia as a child

Farah has sent his namesake around £5,000 - but this appears not to have satisfied him.

The other Farah is said to have got hold of the running champion's phone number and along with about ten others has called him with "incessant demands" for money.

The star has now changed his phone number to avoid the calls.

"Sir Mo felt he was being harassed and hounded," a source told the paper. "He has taken a step back.

"He didn’t want to make a big fuss but thought it better to not engage."

"He has had to change his phone number. It’s unfair Sir Mo is having to deal with this.

"He feels he’s the victim. He is just tired, and thinks it’s so sad.”

The 'other Mo' claims that his famous counterpart had promised to get him a visa to the UK.

He said that he was not aware that his name had been used by someone else until the 2012 Olympics, when Farah won the 5,000 metre and 10,000 metre gold medals.

A source close to the running star Farah said that he had sympathy for his counterpart but that it would be improper for him to get involved in the visa process.

They added: "This isn’t Mo’s job to sort out. That said, on a personal level, Mo has been in contact with Somali Mo for a number of years.

"Communication ceased in the summer when Mo had to distance himself. Anytime there’s something on Mo’s socials, when it might look like he has had some kind of financial gain, a deal with Nike or whatever, they are demanding why has he not sent money."

The other Farah insisted he was "not a bad person", adding: "There is no way I would tell anyone to hound him.

"I didn’t give anyone his number so I don’t know who has been doing this. It’s not anyone in my family.

“The last time I messaged him I said, ‘If you don’t want to answer my call, it’s OK. You do what is best for you, I’ll do what’s best for me’."

The British Farah is considered one of the greatest long-distance runners of all time, with four gold medals across the 2012 and 2016 Olympics among a litany of podium finishes over a glittering career.

He was knighted in 2017 for services to athletics.