Former Ghana coach Joseph Emmanuel Sarpong has refuted the long-held assertion that Ghanaian clubs who go in for spiritual support from a divination, popularly termed as “juju” are miraculously able to win their games no matter the odds.
He acknowledged that “juju” does exist in football, however, explained that such spiritual interventions are mere boosters to psyche one ahead of a match. But to guarantee one’s victory in a game, he kicked against such notion.
In an interview with Joy Sports, Mr Sarpong recounted a failed juju initiative that caused his former club, Susubibi, immense embarrassment at the hands of Hasaacas.
According to him, the then coach for Susubibi compelled the players to chant for three hours at a cemetery upon the direction of a fetish priest in order to win against Hasaacas.
“Hasaacas was one big team. So we were supposed to play Hasaacas. Our manager said that someone was going to pray for us. He told us to go to a cemerty at midnight.
I feared spirits. So I made sure I was in the middle of a queue. I won’t be last, I won’t be first so incase of something, I can balance. We went but we were not close to the graves. We went deeper. Everywhere was dark. This man started chanting and saying things, sixth and seventh book of Moses. We came back. We knew we had won,” he recalled.
However, after the fortification, Susubibi conceded by four goals.
“Our managers believed something went wrong that is why we lost,” he added.
However, that was not the last the last time Susubibi sought assistance from the spiritual world.
“Another time, they used blade to make marks on our forehead and put some black powder into it so we are able to see the ball very well. We were given bananas to eat.”
It was only after when Joseph Emmanuel Sarpong parted ways with Susubibi did he realise what had led to their tragic defeat by Hasaacas. He discovered that they were not in the best shape to face such a formidable teach such as Hasaacas after being wornout the night before the game.
“When I left Susubibi, I got to know that the way we stood the whole night without rest, the legs that we were going to use to play, were weak. We stood for about 3 hours. People were dosing, and they will come and hit your back to wake up.”
But this alone could not convince Mr Sarpong that “juju” was a psychological booster. A trick he played with a club he coached solidified his hypothesis.
“There was a time a player came to tell me we need to bath before we can win. So I went, got water and put in lavender. I said come and bath, and we won the match. But there was nothing. So it is because they believed that if I bath, we will win,” he said.
He firmly asserted that “Juju doesn’t help you to win, Juju is a psychological booster.”
Many clubs and footballers have publicly revealed how black magic won them crucial matches and leagues. In 2022, Asante Kotoko legend Sarfo Gyamfi claimed that the Porcupine Warriors managed to win the Ghana Premier League due to “juju”.
While some boast, others on the other hand, have been accused of tapping into such power. Among such individuals is former Black Stars captain, Andre Dede Ayew, whose alleged “juju” undertaking prior to the 2012 AFCON semifinals against Zambia scared a number of his teammates.
The widespread belief in Juju in African Football amazes me! Can't believe that a player of Dede Ayew's calibre also practises this shit! pic.twitter.com/xzYBpSuxVg
— Jeff Kinyanjui (@_JeffKinyanjui) January 26, 2017
Derek Boateng disclosed that Ghana lost the 2012 African Cup of Nations semifinals against Zambia due to rumours of juju among the players.
He said the Black Stars only warmed up for 15 minutes of their allocated 45 minutes because some of the players vowed not to go on the pitch before Andre ‘Dede’ Ayew.
“For about 15 to 20 minutes, we were just standing there and without doing the warm-up. So the only warm-up we did in the game was for about 10 to 15 minutes. A lot of the players said they will not be the first to go on the field until Dede Ayew did.”
“So you see some of them sitting on the toilet, some standing on the side, and some sitting. So it was very disturbing. Goran was the coach and he could not understand what was going on. So after the game, I heard a lot of voices. I flipped up and blasted everybody. After the game, Nyatankyi (the GFA President) came to me and asked me what happened and I told him what exactly happened,” he told the media.
Source: The Independent Ghana | Andy Ogbarmey-Tettey