Exclusive: Why Odartey Lamptey disputes fathering children

What previously seemed a blissful marriage between former Ghanaian star Nii Odartey Lamptey and Gloria, his wife of nearly two decades, has hit the rocks and is set to end in divorce.

It is one of the most bizarre cases of alleged infidelity which has left the football community stunned, after a teammate of the player was rumoured to be a father to one of the three children.

The Lampteys’ case comes on the heels of a recent divorce case being heard at an Accra High Court involving a former Black Stars captain, John Mensah, whose wife of 10 years, Henrietta, is seeking a break-up of their marriage on the grounds of infidelity, among other accusations.

Gloria Lamptey has reportedly filed for divorce at the Accra High Court on the back of marital problems arising out of alleged infidelity on her part, after the football star discovered through paternity tests that he was not the biological father of their three daughters.

The Lampteys are blessed with three girls namely, 19-year-old Khadija, Moyesha, 18, and Latifa, 7.  Apart from the three children, the couple lost two of their children during their marriage.

 Inside sources revealed to the Daily Graphic that Mrs Lamptey went to court to dissolve the marriage, following accusation of infidelity by 38-year-old Odartey Lamptey  against Mrs Lamptey.

The enraged wife, according to close sources to the Lampteys, threatened to divorce her superstar husband who delayed his response ostensibly to carry out a DNA test to confirm his suspicion.

He allegedly secretly took vital samples of his three daughters and performed the paternity test whose results left him shattered after learning he could not be the biological father of his daughters.

In her suit, Mrs Lamptey is said to be seeking a 50 per cent share of Lamptey’s estate as settlement which the 1991 world’s best juvenile player is contesting.

The couple has a number of joint business ventures, notable among them is the Glow Lamp International School, near Baatsonaa, along the Spintex Road.

Attempts by the Daily Graphic yesterday to reach the former Black Stars midfield star by phone could not materialise as his phone was switched off.

Similarly, attempts to get his estranged wife for comment was unsuccessful.

The former Aston Villa and Coventry City player seems resigned to losing his children and marriage.

“The issue is in court... it is a legal issue I don’t want to go into it now....but I am 100 per cent sure that the children are not mine after 20-years,” he told Accra-based NEAT FM.

However, Mrs Lamptey allegedly claimed the husband was infertile and it was upon his consent that she proceeded to undertake In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF), a claim the footballer is contesting.

Lamptey was a member of the Black Starlets team which won the 1991 FIFA Under-17 World Cup and went on to win a historic Olympic bronze medal with the Black Meteors at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, and a silver medal at the 1993 FIFA Under-20 World Cup in Australia.