John Fashanu Files for Divorce from Vivian Amid Family Dispute

Former England football star John Fashanu has started divorce proceedings against his wife, Vivian. This comes weeks after he shared that their marriage was falling apart.

The situation has developed amid a long family disagreement involving Mr Fashanu, his wife, and their eldest daughter, Amal. The issues have also mixed in with arguments over his business and a disputed property in Abuja.

In a statement sent to PREMIUM TIMES on Thursday, Mr Fashanu’s management team, led by Gabriel Princewill from The Eye Of Media, said he sent divorce papers to Vivian last week and the process has begun.

Mr Fashanu explained that he chose to end the marriage because it was not working. He accused Vivian of getting too involved in his business matters, which he claimed harmed his relationship with Amal.

“I was not manipulated to do anything. I am totally fit and well, and know what I want. I think it is time for a divorce because this marriage is not working, and my wife has been getting too involved in my business affairs and sowing discord between my daughter and me.

“My apology for the original video was in relation to how far I went against my daughter in that post, not an admission that the content of the original Daily Mail article was accurate,” he said.

Vivian is Mr Fashanu’s third wife, and they have been married for about three years. The divorce news marks a big change from Mr Fashanu’s earlier public support of his wife when the family dispute began in May.

At that time, Amal raised concerns about her father's health after visiting him in Nigeria. She later told the Daily Mail about her worries, including claims about his health and how his affairs were managed.

Mr Fashanu denied the claims and said he was mentally and physically fit to handle his personal and business matters. He also defended Vivian, calling her his third wife and saying he loved her “dearly.” He criticized some claims made by Amal.

Things took another turn in August when Mr Fashanu apologized to his daughter for comments he made about her and announced on social media that he planned to divorce Vivian. His recent statement clarified that the apology was for how he publicly attacked Amal and did not mean he accepted all claims in the Daily Mail report.

He insists he is “totally fit and well” and was not pushed into seeking a divorce. This comes after earlier worries about his health and decision-making, which he has always rejected.

Mr Princewill described the dispute between Mr Fashanu, Vivian, and Amal as complicated. He said Amal became worried about her father when she saw he had lost a lot of weight during her visit in May.

According to Mr Princewill, Amal told him that Vivian was taking advantage of her father and influencing him against her. “She discussed her concerns with me during her original visit. Out of concern, she then impulsively opened her heart to The Daily Mail, and both John and his wife were unhappy about the article at the time.

“A rebuttal video was arranged by John and his wife with my knowledge, and some of the content against Amal and her mother really hit a nerve,” Mr Princewill said.

He mentioned that Mr Fashanu voluntarily made the first Instagram video where he criticized his daughter. “John voluntarily and happily did the original Instagram video, but he is a happy-go-lucky fellow and can be very vocal. Announcing a divorce on Facebook is not ideal, but John is a happy-go-lucky person who goes with the flow when it suits him.

“He had openly attacked his daughter, Amal, on Instagram, and it is believed he did the same to his wife to show his commitment to his daughter. It’s a messy situation, but this is where things are at.”

The breakdown of the marriage is also linked to a long-running dispute over a property in Abuja that belongs to Mr Fashanu. The property has been the subject of disagreements and legal issues for nearly two years.

Mr Fashanu agreed to sell the land to buyers in 2024, but the deal fell through when the buyers allegedly did not meet the agreement terms. He then tried to make new deals with other interested parties, including contractors and potential business partners, but those arrangements also fell apart before the projects were finished.

As a result, several parties got involved in contracts and disputes over the property at different times. Things escalated into legal action, including a case by Mr Fashanu against the Nigeria Police Force after an encounter concerning the property.

Another dispute arose when one party reportedly took possession of the property’s Certificate of Occupancy, leading to more legal battles. The property is valued at about ₦3 billion, while buyers reportedly wanted to buy it for around ₦1.8 billion as the disputes continued.

Mr Fashanu’s lawyers and Amal advised him to consider the buyers' offer and resolve the long-standing dispute instead of keeping it in court. Vivian disagreed, arguing that selling the property at that price would not be good for her husband.

She later accused Amal of influencing her father to cut ties with her and accept a lower price for the property, claiming that Amal would benefit from the sale. Amal has denied this allegation.

The Abuja property dispute has added more tension to the already strained relationship between Mr Fashanu, his wife, and daughter. Vivian has rejected claims that she exploited or isolated her husband and contested allegations made against her since the family conflict went public.

She also claimed that Amal used her father's divorce announcement to retaliate for his earlier social media comments about her and connected the marital issues to disagreements over the Abuja property.

Mr Fashanu now presents a different view, saying his wife interfered in his business matters and helped create the rift with his daughter. The different claims by both sides have not been confirmed as facts by any court.