Football is considered a game of passion and skills by many. But the success of players is not always linked to those two things. Sometimes, it is linked with witchcraft. And it is not just an African thing.
Here are five players, whose careers have been allegedly aided or ruined by juju.
Joseph Dosu
Former Nigerian goalkeeper, Joseph Dosu, was on a roll. From being a little-known third choice keeper going into the 1996 Olympics, Dosu suddenly became the undisputed starting goal keeper for the Super Eagles. His heroics at the 1996 Olympics, which aided the Super Eagles to become the first African team to win Gold at the Olympics, made him a fan choice. But it all went downhill in 1997.
Just after Nigeria qualified for the 1998 World Cup, Dosu crashed his car and never played again.
“It was along the Lagos-Ikorodu Road. Suddenly, everywhere went blank; all I could see were cows everywhere. As I tried to control the car, I veered off the road…,” he recalled of the incident.
In reality, there were no cows on the road and many have attributed the incident to juju.
Taribo West
After ending his football career, ex-Super Eagles defender Taribo West became a pastor. And he had some interesting confession about the quest for success. In his playing days, when he “was ignorant”, he had used charms.
“Of course yes (I was involved). I don’t know why people decline to talk about their involvement with charms. Football has to do with a lot of powers. When there are big events, you look at the stadium, you see people, fans invoking all kinds of things; magicians are there, voodooists are there,” he said in an interview.
Emmanuel Adebayor
In 2014, former Arsenal striker and Togo international, Emmanuel Adebayor, accused his mum of using juju to prevent him from scoring goals and ruin his career. The player reportedly kicked his mother out of his home as a result, forcing her to hawk items for survival.
“How am I going to be in touch with my mum if my mum is the one telling everyone that my work will not go forward? So, I will just be on my side and do my thing.”
Brown Ideye
Olympiacos striker, Brown Ideye is not like the others on this list. He has not been “attacked” with juju. He is on the list because in 2015, he accused Nigerian players of turning to juju men for help.
If there was any doubt that players used juju, he attempted to clear it by saying, “I know players who get involved with the juju men and they can’t get out. It’s a trap. They might get short-term benefits, but in the long run they pay for it. Juju men have a lot of influence.”
Cristiano Ronaldo
Yes, Ronaldo. And, no, the three-time Ballon d’Or winner did not solicit the help of juju men. He was allegedly attacked by one. In 2009, Ronaldo sustained an ankle injury that ruled him out for a month. And like Al-Qaeda, a witchdoctor, aptly named Pepe The Witch, claimed responsibility. The voodoo man claimed to have been paid to attack Ronaldo.
