Black Stars defender Rashid Sumaila has responded furiously to allegations that he hired the services of a Mallam to take out fellow player Jerry Akaminko ahead of the 2014 Fifa World Cup in Brazil.
Sumaila made the final squad for the tournament ahead of Akaminko, after the former Heart of Lions defender sustained a career threatening injury in the last friendly before the tournament.
This has long been a staple of Ghanaian sports, which is heavily mixed with occult practices- that you injure a competitor through the dark arts so that you get to take his place.
We call it ‘tukpe’ or something like that. Those who believe in God also believe this works because all supernatural voodoo is the same to them, but many others laugh it off as childish games.
You cannot separate the African from Superstition. No one dies a natural death in Africa even if the person is 120 and nothing happens on its own—it is believed that there is always someone behind things, especially when a group people are in competition.
During last week’s Ghana Vrs Holland friendly football match which took place in Rotterdam, Ghanaian defender-Jerry Akaminko sustained an injury which ruled me out of the World Cup competition, kicking off in less than 10 days time.
According to GhanaSportsOnline, “the family of Ghana defender Jerry Akaminko claim they are close to unravelling the mystery surrounding the bewildering injury of the 26-year old, insisting the injury was as a result of spiritual machinations”.
The website says, the “elder brother of the former Lions defender who doubles as the family head told Kumasi-based Angel FM that a spiritual connection to Akaminko’s injury cannot be disputed as a series of investigation conducted after the injury is very damning and revealing.
Spokesperson of the family and godfather of the Ekisehirspor center-back, whose name was name was given as Ceaser says he can confirm the use of Black Power ‘juju’ in the camp of the national team because he has been privy to information of such occurrences”.
