Nigeria international Taye Taiwo says he is sickened by rumours making the rounds about age cheating involving him and his late twin.

Taiwo turned 27 on April 16, but a BlackBerry broadcast message with unknown origins claimed that while the QPR defender was celebrating his 27th in London, his supposed twin brother was marking his 39th.

The message quickly went viral, with some claiming the supposed twin turned 37, and others 33.

It is, however, common knowledge among close friends and relatives of the Taiwos, that Taye’s twin, a girl, died barely two months after they were born.

Taiwo, who helped Rangers to a critical 1-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur over the weekend, is understandably angry.

”I don’t know what kind of sick joke this is, or the kind of sick person who will come up with it,” he tells Kick Off Nigeria.com. “I did not even know my twin. I was very young when my father told me that she died when we were young.

”Why is it that people are always looking for a way to bring others down? I don’t understand it.”