The argument that voodoo does work in sports, especially football is as old as the game itself and even in this century the topic still lingers. While it is yet to be scientifically proven, the talks of voodoo being effective in the game never end, EBENEZER BAJELA writes
UFC star Israel Adesanya raised eyebrows in October when he publicly affirmed his belief in the spiritual force of ‘juju’ in combat sports.
Speaking on Joe Rogan’s podcast, the Nigerian-born fighter insisted that his rival Alex Pereira’s spiritual practices were real, pointing to eerily similar patterns in their fights, in which Pereira mounted seemingly miraculous comebacks.
“It’s his spirit, his whatever, like ancestors or his people that are praying for him” Adesanya told Rogan, acknowledging the power of spiritual forces in African and Brazilian combat tradition.
Adesanya spoke about this intersection of sports and spirituality, which isn’t unique to mixed martial arts.
Across African football, the practice of using traditional spiritual beliefs and rituals – commonly known as ‘juju’ – has long been intertwined with the beautiful game, sparking both fascination and controversy.
In many parts of Africa, the belief in voodoo and traditional spiritual practices extends beyond religion and has gradually found its way into the world of sports. Rooted in ancient African traditions, voodoo is often seen as a powerful force that can influence events, bring good fortune, or ward off bad luck. This belief permeates various sports, from football to athletics, where players, coaches, and even fans sometimes attribute victories, defeats, or performance anomalies to spiritual interventions.
In countries like Nigeria, Ghana and Senegal, athletes often seek the blessings of traditional healers or shamans before competitions. These practitioners perform rituals, provide charms, or give spiritual advice to enhance performance or protect against rival teams’ perceived curses. The widespread faith in these practices reflects the deep integration of spirituality into everyday life and highlights the cultural significance of sports as a battleground not only of physical prowess but also of spiritual influence.
In 2022, players and officials of Nigeria Premier Football League side, Kwara United, had more than a physical battle to contend with in Niamey during their second leg of the preliminary round of the CAF Confederation Cup against AS Douanes of Niger.
The Afonja Warriors had other warriors to contend with in the form of two herbalists who bizarrely welcomed them.
Just moments before the kick-off, as players of the NPFL side alighted from their bus at the match venue, they were stunned as they saw fresh blood sprinkled on their path to the stadium.
In the video, two men – one holding a goat – suspected to be spiritualists, ran towards the Kwara United bus in an attempt to intimidate the visitors, but one of the team’s officials called the bluff of both men, with no police or security personnel around to protect the players.
Despite the awful act, Kwara United held on to keep a clean sheet to progress to the second qualifying round of the competition before being knocked out by Morocco’s Berkane.
“Two Kwara United players alighted from the bus ahead of the rest of us and before we could realise what was going on two guys from Niger came down rushing at them,” Dele Aiyenugba, captain of the Afonja Warriors told The PUNCH.
“One was holding a goat while the other was having a bottle with blood in it and they started sprinkling it at the two players. The rest of us had to stay on the bus. Our chairman was very brave on that day and he stood his ground against the two guys.”
The former Super Eagles goalkeeper added that at the end of the day, having players with vast experience helped prevail over the voodoo.
“The awful act didn’t actually have any psychological effect on us because we got the job done thanks to having experienced players in the team.
“It is good to have players who have gone through things like this before and who have played in tough tournaments like this. I had to tell the players that we were going to play the game as if it was our final game and that we wouldn’t allow their gimmicks to affect us.”
Most recently, officials of Ghana Premier League champions, Medeama Sports Club, paid a visit to the Ogua Traditional Council in Cape Coast, Ghana, seeking the blessings and wise counsel of the traditional authorities ahead of their CAF Champions League preliminary game against Remo Stars in August.
While this was a courtesy visit on the surface, it is not far from the belief in supernatural powers that are beyond football.
Medeama indeed progressed ahead of Remo Stars on penalties after both legs of the encounter ended 1-1 on aggregate.
Indeed, the talk of voodoo has been around as long as football has been played on the continent.
From the 1970s down through the 1980s till today some footballers, coaches, club owners and fans still consult parapsychologists, babalawos, diviners, clairvoyants and Jujumen.
Going down memory lane, the Mighty Jets of Jos got to the Nigerian Challenge Cup Finals over seven times without winning the coveted cup making everyone believe that they were jinxed and anaesthetized through a curse placed on them.
Stories of voodoo, witchcraft, charms, amulets etc are very common in African football and even the introduction of Video Assistant Referee (VAR) hasn’t been able to verify that claim.
While there is no scientific justification for these claims, many believe in a world of superstition and the involvement in metaphysical powers.
Africa and voodoo
In 2000, Nigeria beat Senegal 2-1 in Lagos to reach the semi-finals of the AFCON, but not without drama.
An official of the Nigeria Football Association was alleged to have scampered onto the pitch to remove a charm that was placed inside Senegal’s net during Nigeria’s Africa Cup of Nations quarter-final match in Lagos.
Before the charm’s removal the Super Eagles, co-hosts of the tournament, had launched a series of attacks, which were foiled by the Senegalese, sparking apprehension among the home fans at the packed Lagos National Stadium.
However, the intervention, 15 minutes from full-time, ensured the Eagles scored two late goals courtesy of substitute Julius Aghahowa to deny the Lions of Teranga from proceeding to the semi-final and send the arena into a wild frenzy.
In 2019, Benin shocked Morocco on penalties in the round of 16 in Egypt to record its first-ever victory in the competition and progress to a quarter-final showdown with Senegal.
Thereafter, Dah Gbediga, president of the indigenous religions of Benin, who was joined by several other vodunsi practitioners for a “special ceremony to support the Squirrels”, as the national squad are nicknamed, said he had been praying for the team since well before the tournament began.
Before Cameroon squared up against Mali in the semi-final of the 2002 Africa Cup of Nations at the Stade du 26 Mars, Bamako, handler of the Indomitable Lions Winfried Schafer and his goalkeeping coach, Thomas Nkono, were arrested by riot police for placing a charm on the pitch shortly before kick-off.
Also in 2002, the Ivorian government settled a 10-year row with displeased witch doctors who revealed they had a hand in the Elephant’s AFCON triumph in 1992. They were reported to have been hired by the Sports Minister at the time. In that year’s final, the Elephants overcame Ghana 11–10 on penalties after they played out a 0-0 draw after extra-time.
A video that went viral in 2015 showed Andre Ayew sprinkling a whitish substance on the field before his team took on Ivory Coast in the AFCON final. Despite the act – which many claimed was Muti – Ghana ended up on the losing side.
A few years ago, the Rwandan Premier League encounter between Mukura Victory and Rayon Sports was flawed by claims of witchcraft. In video footage made available on social media, striker Moussa Camara – whose team was down by a lone goal and missed several scoring chances – sprinted to the opponent’s goal to lean a small object against the goalpost.
He was chased by the goalkeeper and that led to the encounter getting stopped momentarily. After the restart, Camara scored the leveller but he was subsequently fined 100,000 Rwandan Francs, with the Rwandan FA threatening to impose stiffer punishment on any player caught taking part in witchcraft.
Source:Punch
