Taylor makes juju claims

Former Ghana international Charles Taylor says the influence of juju is destroying the careers of many footballers in his country.

A prolific Hearts of Oak player at his peak, the man who helped power the club to African Champions League glory in 2000 alleges that a number of players in the domestic league turn to juju or black magic in the hope of gaining undue advantage over their opponents as well as achieving longevity.

"If you are a footballer and spiritually you are weak someone can destroy your future with juju," he said.

"There is juju in football, mostly if you are a player making waves in the game and you don't pray, someone can just destroy your football career."

Taylor gave some personal experiences to back his claim in the interview with Joy FM in Accra.

"It has happened to me before so I know what I'm talking about. You look at how things were going so well with me and all of a sudden things started falling apart. It should tell you that juju is real."

The player, who featured for Kotoko and Berekum Chelsea also added that the "spiritual aspect" of the game was real: "It is destroying the football careers of many in this country. Because had it not been for that I'm not sure I will be here by now."

"I was a member of the Black Stars team and even captained the team, I had not experienced any injury at that time but it all started after I left Hearts."

Taylor is still working on getting a club following the termination of his contract with the Blues.