The curious case of an alleged phony footballer turned anti-gang media commentator

You can be anyone you want to tell people you are, until you enter the public eye. Then, you might get found out — and one Nelly Yoa is learning the hard way.

In the past week, Australia's media and politicians have whipped up a frenzy on a supposed "African gang crisis" consuming Melbourne.

The issue has flared up in the country, with front page after front page from newspapers demanding action on the matter, and one politician declaring it "out of control." Home Affairs minister Peter Dutton told a radio station that people were "scared to go out to restaurants" because of gangs.

While there is an overrepresentation of Sudanese-born and Kenyan-born offenders in certain categories comparative to their population in Victoria, the raw data is far from what you'd call a crisis. The biggest offenders are those born in Australia, then New Zealand.

Why you're hearing about it now is likely because Victoria has an election due this year. Politicians from the opposing Liberal party, including Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, have been vocal on the issue, despite criticisms of the issue unfairly targeting Australia's African community.

Someone else who's spoken on the issue is a so-called professional footballer turned media commentator Nelly Yoa, who made appearances as a South Sudanese activist denouncing African gangs.

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Yoa also wrote an article on how to tackle the issue of gangs which appeared on the front page of Melbourne newspaper The Age.

In the article, Yoa claimed he "personally knows and mentors members of youth gangs in and out of prison," and that he believes "we have a major issue among young South Sudanese people in Melbourne."

Yoa himself had been allegedly attacked by a gang in 2011, suffering injuries from a machete to his arms and legs.

It seemed Yoa's background was taken on face value. However, not all of it appeared to be true.

So, who is this guy, really?

Questions over his community involvement

The South Sudanese Community Association in Victoria's spokesperson Richard Deng, told Fairfax Media he found no person Yoa mentored, nor knew anyone who worked with him.

"He is putting a lie out there that he is trying to help young kids ... He is just trying to help himself," Deng said. 

"Melbourne is very small when it comes to this community... how is no one aware of the work he says he is doing?"

Yoa's dubious footballing credentials

In an article Yoa wrote for The Age, he wrote about his "unsuccessful trial in England with Chelsea Football Club and Queens Park Rangers Football," but these claims have been challenged on social media as exaggerated.

Yoa said in a statement on Twitter that indeed he went on trial with both clubs, and criticised "slothful journalists." Yoa also said he would sue for defamation.

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Queens Park Rangers told AAP that there were no records of Yoa being at the club. "Certainly no recollection of this and no records either," a QPR spokesperson told AAP.

A tweet from AAP journalist Vince Rugari shows a press release about Yoa's QPR transfer, with "fake links" and attributions to the BBC and Associated Press.

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He also claimed to be linked with various A-League and Asian clubs over the years, and that he made a switch to Australian Rules Football by playing with professional club Collingwood.

Collingwood's president, Eddie McGuire, told the Herald Sun Yoa had applied "for a position as a category B rookie but was subsequently unsuccessful."

Accusations of plagiarism and false brand partnerships

Yoa's article for The Age is alleged to have been plagiarised from another article by Manola De Vos, who penned one called "6 ways to successfully engage youths in peace building" on Devex.

"I expect Nelly Yoa's piece to be taken down ASAP," De Vos wrote on Twitter.

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The article is now prefaced with a disclaimer warning readers about Yoa's disputed background, and that parts of the piece appear to have been plagiarised.

"The Age accepts that Mr Yoa's assertions and credentials should have been checked more thoroughly before publication and apologises for not doing so. The Age also apologises to Ms De Vos. Mr Yoa denies plagiarising Ms De Vos' article," it reads.

On Yoa's Twitter profile he claims to be sponsored by Nike and an ambassador for American Express.

Nike told Fox Sports Australia Yoa had never been sponsored by the company, while American Express told BuzzFeed's Josh Taylor he had never been a brand ambassador for them in Australia, although is checking internationally.

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On a side note, TMZ reported that rappers TY Dollar $ign and YG settled with Yoa to keep an alleged 2015 nightclub assault out of the courts. TMZ didn't hear back from the artists when asked to confirm the settlement.

Mashable has contacted Yoa for comment.