Greek Island Mourns Manchester United Legend Who Was Actually an Imposter
The picturesque Greek island of Zakynthos recently witnessed one of the most extraordinary episodes in football history, when an entire community gathered to mourn the passing of a man they believed to be Manchester United legend Remi Moses. In a story that blends tragedy with surreal deception, the funeral service proceeded with full honours before the shocking truth emerged.
A Moving Funeral for a Football Great
Dozens of mourners gathered at the yellow-painted St Stathis church in Argassi, a town on the island of Zakynthos, to pay their respects to the man they knew as Remi Moses. With particular poignancy, the mortician had laid out the body in the coffin clad in one of his trademark Manchester United shirts. The service was moving and heartfelt, with fulsome tributes paid and many tears shed as the congregation honoured what they believed to be a footballing great.
Afterwards, as people filed out of the church to proceed to the cemetery for the burial, the widow, Jutta, thanked each mourner personally for making the funeral so special. They thanked her in return for bringing such a celebrated player to live out his final days on their humble island. 'He was truly one of the football greats', remarked one mourner with a wistful nod of the head.
The Bizarre Truth Emerges
There was just one monumental problem with this touching scene. Remi Moses wasn't dead. The real former Manchester United midfielder was alive and well and living quietly in Manchester. The man in the coffin was actually Kenneth Simms, a 61-year-old retired marketing executive from Hemel Hempstead in Hertfordshire.
The deception began when Simms, a lifelong Manchester United supporter of Caribbean heritage, took his fandom to an unprecedented level by adopting the identity of his football hero. He managed to convince not only his German wife, Jutta Simms – his third spouse – but also all their friends, neighbours, and even a local football club on Zakynthos that he was the famous former player.
Securing a Coaching Role Through Deception
So audacious was Simms in playing his part that he secured a coaching position with Greek football club Doxa Pigadakion by telling the chairman he was the famous former Red Devil. 'He said he had retired to the island and that he wanted to keep in touch with the game and said he would like to volunteer as a coach', explained a senior club source.
The director continued: 'I was introduced to him by another coach on the island who said 'I want you to meet Manchester United legend Remi Moses.'' He came to the club and we talked about football and he certainly knew his stuff. He showed me videos and he talked about playing for United against Maradona when he was at Barcelona.'
As a result, Simms was appointed to coach Doxa Pigadakion's women's team for the 2020-21 season. Club chairman Andreas Gouskos told Greek media at the time: 'For Zakynthos football, it is a blessing from God that Mr Moses exists on the island. We are happy that we met him…there have been many tributes to his presence in Zakynthos.'
The Death Announcement and Funeral
When Simms passed away in December, his wife Jutta, believing she was married to the real Remi Moses, informed the football club of his death. Doxa Pigadakion then issued a formal statement announcing the passing of 'the veteran Manchester United footballer Remi Moses', which included funeral details and prompted the turnout of mourners.
The tribute read: 'Our club had the honour, for a short time, to collaborate with the veteran Manchester United footballer Remi Moses. To all fanatical football fans, not just fans of one of the great teams of English football, he will always remain in our minds, as that football player in the mid-80s, who ran endless kilometres in the midfield of Manchester United.'
Discovery of the Hoax
Reports of Moses' death quickly reached the UK, prompting an initial outpouring of grief among older Manchester United supporters. However, within 24 hours, doubts began to emerge as supporters questioned the details. The situation was definitively clarified when Moses' family issued a formal statement confirming that the real Remi was alive and well in Manchester.
The director of Doxa Pigadakion described his shock when officials from Manchester United contacted him after the club's announcement: 'I couldn't believe it. None of us could believe it. We all thought it was the real Remi Moses.' He added: 'With hindsight maybe I should have asked to see his passport or some paperwork but it just didn't cross my mind. It never crossed our minds that this could have happened.'
Community Reaction and Aftermath
The deception was so complete that even when the director attended the funeral knowing the truth, other mourners remained unaware. 'Even though I knew by then we had been hoaxed I thought out of respect for someone who had given their time to the club I went to his funeral', he said. 'And he was in his coffin wearing a red Manchester United shirt, he was buried with it, I thought it couldn't get any stranger.'
Local residents on Zakynthos were equally stunned. Soumelas Kotsonis, a 22-year-old petrol station employee who regularly delivered fuel to Simms' home, said: 'I've lived here since I was born and always knew him as Remi Moses. I thought he was the real footballer, I would deliver fuel to the house and there was Manchester United gear all over the walls.'
The Real Remi Moses Responds
Meanwhile, in Manchester, the real Remi Moses was understandably shocked by the bizarre series of events. His 44-year-old son, also named Remi Moses, spoke on his father's behalf: 'My dad has never even been to Zante. He doesn't venture far from Middleton, maybe he goes into Manchester city centre to play snooker but that is about it. He is also not married and has never been married. It's all been an absolute shock.'
Remarkably, the Moses family expressed compassion rather than anger. Remi Jr added: 'People are people and whatever this man has done Dad would have compassion for him. You have got to have compassion for the bloke, no matter what he has done.'
Widow's Perspective
Jutta Simms, who is German and has told friends she has no real interest in football, remains heartbroken by the loss of her husband and subsequent exposure of his deception. A friend explained: 'She knew him as Kenneth. She knows nothing about football and when Kenneth used the name 'Remi Moses' she thought it was his professional name, in much the same way the singers Lady Gaga and Madonna have different names.'
The friend added: 'When she called the Greek club to say the man they knew as Remi Moses had died, she had no idea he wasn't the real Remi Moses. There was no profiteering or scandal, there was nothing intentionally untoward.'
Legacy of the Real Footballer
The real Remi Moses made history at Manchester United as the club's first black goalscorer when he netted a late winner against Middlesbrough in October 1981. During seven seasons at Old Trafford, he made 199 appearances, scoring 12 goals, and won two FA Cups and the Charity Shield before injuries forced his premature retirement at just 28.
This extraordinary story serves as a testament to the power of football fandom and identity, while raising questions about verification and belief in an age where impersonation can reach astonishing levels of acceptance within an entire community.
