FORMER Newcastle midfielder Gael Bigirimana has revealed that his life was turned upside down after losing his savings to a scam.
The 32-year-old joined the Magpies from Coventry in 2012 and spent four years at St James’ Park.
During that time he made 26 first team appearances, scoring once.
Bigirimana left Newcastle in 2016 following the arrival of Rafa Benitez after mutually terminating his contract to accomodate a return to Coventry.
Another season with the Sky Blues was followed by a two-year spell with Scottish Premiership side Motherwell and a four-month stint with Hibernian.
However, his career then took a turn.
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Bigirimana was offered a two-week trial at a club in Croatia, only to be rejected before he stepped onto the plane.
He told the Newcastle club website: “I was waiting to board a flight at Birmingham Airport and rang the coach to ask if somebody would be waiting at the other end.
“He told me not to come because they had a game the previous day and a striker got injured.
“They wanted to see if it was long-term or short-term. If it was long-term, they would prioritise a striker.
“It was a weird feeling. I just thank God just for the peace that I had. Okay, it’s annoying, it’s frustrating. They said to me, ‘we’re going to get back to you’, but they never did.”
After five months out of the game, Bigirimana ended up with Solihull Moors in the National League.
But he faced another setback when the Covid pandemic hit.
An agent pointed him in the direction of an investment scheme and his due diligence with accountants backed up the legitimacy of the set-up.
The midfielder paid a lump sum with the promise of monthly pay outs, which never came.
It turned out to be a Ponzi scheme which drained his family’s entire savings, meaning he was forced to rely on benefits.
Bigirimana continued: “There was no continuity. After a few months there was no payment.
“Then it was all like, ‘we’re going to pay you next month, there’s a misunderstanding’. All those sorts of things. Then it got to the point where the communication dried up.
“We learned from the mistake. Our faith gave us perspective. There’s a scripture in the Book of Job that says, ‘God gives, and God takes away.’ We just knew that God would bless us again one day.”
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Bigirimana now plays for Northern Irish side Dungannon Swifts, having joined two years ago.
The 32-year-old has since made 82 appearances.
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