Former Youth and Sports Minister, Nii Lante Vanderpuye has revealed that an Italy-based Ghanaian footballer was sacked by his club after he was caught engaging in ‘black magic, juju’.
Speaking on LifeStyle TV’s Heart and Soul program on GTV, the Member of Parliament for Odododiodio Constituency said the Italian club was forced to sack thprogramafter checking CCTV cameras and realizing the player smears a strange substance on his body before stepping on the field.
“There was a situation a player has been sacked from Italy because he was dabbling in those things,” he said.
“And anytime they go to the dressing room, he will be the last one to come out because when all of them are going out, he had to put certain things on his body before he gets out. But there were cameras there and they caught him.
“There was another case in Belgium when a talisman fell from a player (goalkeeper) so he was trying to pick it up and a goal was scored.”
Allegations of the use of voodoo, locally known as juju, by Ghanaian and African footballers have usually dominated the headlines.
Mr. Vanderpuye said another Ghanaian footballer failed to perform in France when he was stopped from performing his rituals in Europe.
“The thing is so endemic. I have had a situation where a player who was sent out to France, was a wonderful player, but because he was not allowed to do those things, his football career ended.
“Because he had believed so much in those things that he thinks without them there is no way he can play,” the legislator added.
Source: Modern Ghana
