Former Black Stars Chief Drummer, Joseph Langabel, has openly confirmed the practice of juju in Ghana football, describing it as a common but often misunderstood element of the local game.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with Ghana Weekend in Accra on Thursday July 17, he stated that what is referred to as “juju football” is real, though it isn’t necessarily harmful or malicious.
“We have something called juju football. Juju dey for football, but it’s not juju wey e go kill you. We call it ‘ways and means’ to block whatever you are bringing against us. It’s to help us win,” he explained.
Langabel admitted to performing such rituals for Accra Great Olympics and acknowledged that other clubs do the same.
However, he claimed the situation was different with the senior national team, the Black Stars.
“For Black Stars, the people there be ‘fathers’. If you want to do something for them, they won’t allow,” he said.
Addressing rumors that he had performed dangerous rituals involving mentally ill individuals during a tournament in Egypt, Langabel dismissed those claims as false.
“They say I went to Egypt to kill six mad men, that’s a lie. What I said in an interview was that, when we took the cup for the Under-20 team, I went to do salaka. I gave money to mad people to collect glory from them. That day, we did it, and God gave us the blessings. We won the cup,10 against 11, two penalty misses, but Ghana still took the cup.”
He concluded by questioning why pastors often encourage people to give alms (salaka) if it were not a spiritual act of significance.
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