SIR Mo Farah is reportedly being pursued for money by a man whose name he took.
The Olympic hero, 41, offered to help fellow Mo after the 2022 telecast, but it ended in emotional blackmail, it is claimed.
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Sir Mo, looking for the man whose name he took, on the BBC’s The Real Mo Farah – who is now reportedly chasing the star for moneyCredit: BBC
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The four-time Olympic gold medalist took the name Mo Farah, above, when he was smuggled into the UK aged nine Credit: https://www.facebook.com/hamo11111111111/photos
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Sir Mo wins 5000m and 10000m in Rio 2016 Credit: PA
A source said: “It’s so sad.”
Sir Mo claims he had to change his phone number after “constant demands” for cash from his namesake.
The four-time Olympic gold medalist took the name of a child named Mo Farah when he was smuggled into the UK at the age of nine.
Sir Mo promised to stay in touch and is known to have sent up to £5,000 to his namesake.
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But another Mo, 40, and around ten others allegedly harassed him for money after getting hold of the star’s long-distance mobile phone number.
Sources say Sir Mo sees it as emotional blackmail and has not spoken to his namesake for months.
The source said: “Sir Mo felt that someone was harassing and persecuting him.
“He took a step back. He didn’t want to make a big fuss, but he thought it was better not to get involved.
“He had to change his phone number. It’s not fair that Sir Mo has to deal with this.
»He feels like a victim. He’s just tired and thinks it’s so sad.”
I’ve been living a lie… my real name is not Mo Farah and I came here illegally after my dad was killed in the war in Somalia
The pair reunited on Mo Farah’s BBC show The Real where Sir Mo revealed he was smuggled into the UK after his father was killed in the Somali civil war and his mother sent him and twin Hassan to live with family.
The athlete revealed that his real name is Hussein Abdi Kahin and that he took “Mo Farah” from the children’s passport he used to fly to Heathrow in 1993.
He had to change his phone number. It’s not fair that Sir Mo has to deal with this. He feels like a victim
A source close to Sir Mo
Later in the show, Sir Mo followed his namesake to Istanbul, Turkey, where he was studying.
But the real Mo now says they haven’t spoken since December 2023 and claims Sir Mo broke his promise to get him a visa.
Speaking from his home in the Somali capital Mogadishu, another Mo said: “Mo got what he wanted and now he doesn’t care if I live or die. He made a lot of promises and said he would stop using my name and give me my name back.
“He told me he wanted to stop living a lie, but he’s still living a lie.
“He said he would help me get a tourist visa so I could visit my mum in England, but I spent two years waiting and nothing happened.”
Sir Mo became the world’s best long-distance runner by winning two golds in London 2012 and Rio 2016, and shares four children with his wife Tanija. But the life of his namesake was beset by tragedy.
Another Mo said: “My mother left, I stayed with her older sister Amina in Nairobi, and when she died of kidney failure in 2005, my world collapsed.
“I wanted to become a cricketer. I went for Kenya Under-19 trials and I would have had a lot more opportunities if I had taken the visa and moved to England.”
The other Mo didn’t reveal his relationship with Sir Mo until after the 2012 Olympics.
He said: “Some uncles were visiting from the UK, they said: ‘Do you know the athlete, Mo Farah? Do you know he uses your name?’ I couldn’t believe it.
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Sir Mo Farah, pictured with wife Tania, is allegedly being chased for money by a man whose name he took Credit: Getty – Contributor
“I was watching him on TV and applauding him as he walked towards the finish saying ‘Go Mo’.
“I was a big fan. But even then I didn’t try to get in touch with him.
“We first spoke when Sir Mo’s adopted aunt Kinsi contacted me on Facebook and said, “Mo is looking for you. He will give you everything. They will restore your name and take you abroad’.
It is not Mo’s responsibility to look after the son of the people who abused and sold him to the UK
A source close to Sir Mo
“After that, we kept in touch by phone, and after the documentary came out, the TV crew kept me hidden in a hotel for six weeks to make sure no one could find me.
“One BBC producer even discussed making a second documentary where I would meet Sir Mo in London, but it never happened.”
Last night, sources close to Sir Mo gave a different picture of why the relationship ended. An insider said: “Sir Mo has compassion. This man was also a victim of events that were beyond his control as a child. But that’s not Mo’s responsibility. The people who are adults and responsible for them obviously didn’t do their job properly.
“But it would certainly not be appropriate for Mo to use his influence on any UK immigration policy or process. Quite the opposite.
“This is not Mo’s job to solve. However, on a personal level, Mo has been in contact with Somali Mo for several years.
“Communication broke off in the summer when Mo had to distance himself. Every time something comes up on Mo’s social media, when it might look like he had some kind of financial gain, a deal with Nike or whatever, they wonder why he didn’t send the money.”
Last night, the other Mo insisted, “I’m not a bad person. There’s no way I’d tell anyone he was being stalked. I didn’t give his number to anyone so I don’t know who does it. It’s not anyone from my family.
“The last time I texted him I said, ‘If you don’t want to answer my call, that’s fine. You do what’s best for you, I’ll do what’s best for me’.”
Sir Mo was approached for comment.
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The legend’s victory pose after securing victory in the 3000m in London, 2015 Credit: PA
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The other Mo only revealed his relationship with Sir Mo after the Olympics in 2012. Credit: BBC
CONFESSION SHOCKED UK
By Joe Morgan
NATIONAL TREASURE Sir Mo Farah shocked the country when he admitted he had lied about his identity all his life, saying: “The truth is I’m not who you think I am.”
He revealed on TV two years ago that his real name is Hussein Abdi Kahin and that he was smuggled into the UK as a child after his father was killed in the Somali civil war.
The great runner and father of three told the BBC1 documentary The Real Mo Farah: “I want to feel normal and not feel like you’re holding on to something.”
The Sun, right, reported that Sir Mo feared he would be stripped of his citizenship for lying on his application, but politicians joined celebrities in the rally.
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