James Essien, the biological father of Chelsea star, Michael Essien, is beside himself with rage as a result of the player’s failure to cater for him in recent years.

Consequently, the father has stated that the midfielder should cease using the name ‘Essien’ as his surname. “I have been ill for over a year now. It is Kyeremeh (Berekum Chelsea board chairman) who takes care of me, and I see no point in him continuing to bear my name,” he said on Happy Sports yesterday.

Reacting to what might have caused the player’s allegedly irresponsible acts, he said, “His mother has been ill-advising him to stop providing for my upkeep. I will go all out to ensure that he stops using my name. “Even if I have to drag him to the law courts, I will do that,” he added.

The player is alleged to have shirked his duty of taking care of his father for some time now. A few months ago, the father was in the media soliciting for support to take care of his medical bills; and moved by compassion, the board chairman of Berekum Chelsea, Emmanuel Kyeremeh decided to remit Essien’s father occasionally.

Daily Guide Sports further probed into the matter in an interview with Mr. James Essien’s new ‘son’ Mr. Kyeremeh, who confirmed the story. “It is true that I support Mr. Essien. I don’t take full responsibility of his upkeep, but I do support him,” Mr. Kyeremeh said.

Readers will recall that James Essien, Father of Michael, in early 2008 made claims t o the Sunday Mirror, an English newspaper, that his son was not taking care of him. Two years later, the issue resurfaced, with allegations and counter-allegations by both father and son, attracting mixed reactions from the Ghanaian populace. Daily Guide, in an effort to uncover the truth, took a trip to the father’s village where James Essien confirmed that indeed his son had neglected him.

Essien's dad The Chelsea midfielder tried to douse the flames by releasing a statement, which read: “I have faced many many difficult challenges in my life but this is the hardest thing I have ever done as my heart bleeds over the false statements recently peddled by a small section of the Ghanaian media goaded by my own father.

“I had never wanted to discuss my family in public .“But for the thousands of Ghanaians and the highly respectable people of our country who have contacted me and know what I have consistently done for my father, I need to react to stop the attempt to destroy me in the eyes of the people of Ghana and disgrace my family. “Giving what I have done for my father, when I was told of the false, vile and degrading comments he made about me, I wept because people normally do not get insults for doing good.

“But my father decided to pay me back in such a terrible way. Because of this I have been unfortunately forced to say what I have done for him because he has gone to the extreme to disgrace my family. I will like to state the following facts:

1. My father currently lives in a three-bedroom house (not mud house) I instructed my sister to build for him with my own money.

2. He is visited monthly and more recently twice a week by my sister Diana on my orders to regularly give him money and other essentials I send. My mother, whom he has insulted so much, also provides for him.

3. I bought a car for him to make his transportation easier and part of the money I provide for him is used to fuel the car or repair it when it breaks down.

4. When his illness broke out I asked for him to be taken to the Asikuma Hospital but he said he wants traditional medicine. I provided money for him to undergo traditional treatment. It came to nothing and I ordered for him to be taken to the hospital. My family, I believe have also organised for a nurse to come home and look after him on regular basis.

“Because of these reasons and many more reasons I won’t state publicly, I am shocked by what he is alleged to have said but God knows I have done my best to thoroughly look after a man who didn’t even raise me or take part in my up-bringing and who has 8 other children who can help.”

This latest development seemed to have reopened an old wound, and whether or not this would fester or die a natural death, only time will tell.