Arsenal Football Club player, Ainsley Maitland-Niles, is reported to have ignored his family despite earning £30,000 and living in a £700,000 house, while his mother remains homeless.
Metro UK reports that the mother of the player, Jules Niles claims she has been living in a metal storage container.
Jules Niles says she has to sneak past staff at the Big Yellow Storage warehouse to sleep in the 10ft square metal box – despite her son earning £30,000 a week.
The woman is reported to have been living in the box for three months after she had a misunderstand with the footballer. He is also accused of refusing to serve as a guarantor so she could rent a flat.
She said:
“It’s a metal container with no windows or carpet. There is no toilet or washing facilities. It’s not a home. I know what home feels like – to be able to shower, brush your teeth and sit in your room. Most of all, I miss my family. It’s horrible. I just want to know what I’ve done wrong. It is heartbreaking.
“The area is covered in snow and it’s not been above freezing for days. I heard a homeless man died here overnight on Thursday.”
Ainsley – rated at £15m – lives in a £700,000 luxury apartment in Finchely, North London; with his brother Cordi, 23 and a charity worker, while his mum sleeps on a bare mattress in an industrial unit just off the M25 in Hertfordshire.
The pair grew up in council houses and temporary accommodation in and around Ilford, East London, with their mum saying she was sometimes so poor she went hungry.
Ainsley signed for the club’s academy when he was six, and made his debut for The Gunners aged 17 in the Champions League against Galatasaray in 2014.
The family initially lived in a three-bedroom home in Hertfordshire but fled in the middle of the night after Jule had a bust-up with Arsenal club staff.
She was given six months to find a new home – and when she could not she was kicked out. She said: “I couldn’t believe it. I was devastated.”
However, Ainsley is reported to be unaware his mother is living through a terrible condition and he claim to hand over cash to her on a regular basis.