Former Black Stars coach James Kwesi Appiah has revealed that his attempt at black magic, also known as juju, resulted in a serious injury during his early career.
According to Kwesi Appiah, it was his first time attempting juju to improve his performance after unnamed individuals suggested that he do so.
The former Kotoko player told Dan Kwaku Yeboah TV on YouTube that after he completed his transfer from Prestea Mine Stars to the Reds in the 1980s, some people advised him to get fortified in order to play for Kotoko.
“When I was in Prestea, I used to read Psalm 91 and then go and play football. It was something I did constantly and even then I wasn’t even a churchgoer. So when I joined Kotoko from Prestea, some people came and told me ‘you can’t play Kotoko just as you see it, you have to be fortified.’ So they took me to see a mallam and he tied something for me. He told me to put in my socks,” he said.
“I got injured on the leg where I had placed the thing. So since then I have never tried again but the club itself sometimes did things according to their belief.”
“It was my first game in Kumasi against Great Olympics. Because of that injury, I couldn’t play at the 82 AFCON. I wasn’t fully fit but the coaches thought I would be okay during the tournament.”
Ghana won their fourth and final AFCON title after defeating host nation Libya on penalties in the final.
During his ten years with Kotoko, Kwesi Appiah established himself as one of the greatest full-backs in the club’s history.
He won the Ghana Premier League seven times, two domestic league cups, and the CAF Champions League and African Cup of Champions Clubs once.
After retiring, James Kwesi Appiah joined Kotoko as an assistant coach from 1992 to 1995 before taking over as head coach from 1995 to 1996.
Source: Pak MediaGh.com