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Juju has influenced Kenyan football as former player Walter Odede reveals rituals aimed at affecting match outcomes.
Former Harambee Stars midfielder Walter Odede has unveiled shocking details about the use of juju (black magic) in football confirming long-standing rumors about mystical practices influencing the game.
The retired footballer, who was a central figure in Kenya's campaign during the 2004 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, shared his experiences and the pervasive nature of these practices within the sport.
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According to Odede, the acceptance of juju was so ingrained that players were often coerced into participating in rituals they did not fully understand or believe in.
"It was part of the culture for teams in top-flight league to the point where if someone refused, and the game went badly, they were blamed for the loss.
You could board the team bus and see a stranger next to you, but later realize he was the juju man brought in by the team management," he said in an interview with Buzz Sports.
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The rituals as described by Odede involved bizarre and sometimes humiliating acts.
"One time, I went there on my own to check if these things worked. I was told to remove my clothes, then to shower in water made of an unknown concoction. Afterward, I was tied with a black leso by the jujuman,"he recalled.
The juju man then instructed Odede to perform a series of acts that culminated in him carrying chicken feathers and breaking eggs on the playing field—supposed acts of empowerment meant to sway match results.
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Despite these efforts, Odede remains skeptical about the effectiveness of such rituals.
"After the juju, I was given the eggs back, and I was told to go and break those eggs on the playing surface. However, I never went back, as even the match that we played, we lost," he concluded, hinting at the futility of such practices.
The acknowledgment of juju in sports is not unique to Kenya, with various forms of ritualistic practices reported in different sports and regions around the world.
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Odede made 16 appearances for the national team having played for clubs like Mathare United and Bandari before he retired to work for the Kenya Ports Authority.
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