Brown Ideye, former Super Eagles striker and 2013 AFCON winner, has firmly denied knowing Jana Voloshenko, a Ukrainian woman who claims he fathered her two children and has allegedly abandoned them amid the ongoing crisis in Ukraine.
Voloshenko also accused the 36-year-old Enyimba FC player of neglecting his financial responsibilities, including alimony.
According to The News Chronicle Sport’s Reporter Oladimeji Adeoye, who interviewed Voloshenko via Instagram and phone in January 2025, she claimed Ideye risks arrest by Interpol as a result of an ongoing court case. She has continued to call out Ideye on social media, urging Nigerians and his club to sever ties with him, while also posting videos of the alleged children addressing their father’s supposed neglect.
Voloshenko provided documents suggesting she had children with Ideye, though they were never married. She claimed he paid alimony during his stint with Dynamo Kyiv.
However, in a voice call with the reporter on Sunday, April 13, Ideye dismissed all allegations, describing them as a long-running extortion attempt that began after he left Ukraine to join West Bromwich Albion. He stated that the accusations have resurfaced with each club he has played for and have occasionally disrupted his professional life.
Ideye questioned the credibility of Voloshenko’s claims, pointing out that there is no photographic evidence of him with her or the children. He also noted that in Europe, both parents must consent with signatures for a child to obtain an international passport. He added that he is married to a Nigerian woman and has no children with any other woman.
Further attempts by the reporter to obtain photographic proof or a willingness from Voloshenko to submit the children for DNA testing were unsuccessful.
Brown Ideye, who now plays for Enyimba FC, had a decorated career across Europe, featuring for clubs like Dynamo Kyiv, West Brom, Málaga, Olympiacos, and Göztepe.
He won two trophies with Dynamo Kyiv and another with Olympiacos. Before moving abroad, he played for Ocean Boys and Bayelsa United, winning the Nigerian league with Ocean Boys in 2006.
He earned 28 caps and scored six goals for Nigeria between 2010 and 2016.
