Former Ghana’s Black Stars head coach, James Kwesi Appiah has revealed what made him chop some success in his footballing career.
The Ghanaian tactician said in his early stage his Father wanted him to be a physician instead of a footballer but thankfully his mother was solidly behind him.
The former Black Star captain and Coach said he used to read Psalm 91 before every match until he joined Kotoko.
He also revealed that his attempt at black magic, commonly known as juju resulted in him suffering a serious injury in the early years of his career as Kumasi Asante Kotoko player in a match against Accra Great Olympics.
According to Kwesi Appiah, it was his first time trying juju to better his performance after unnamed persons had suggested that he should do so.
Speaking with Dan Kwaku Yeboah TV on YouTube, the former Kotoko player said 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.
The former Kotoko full-back continued that he got injured on the leg he placed the juju before the match.
“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.”
He noted that the game was his debut for Kotoko against Great Olympics, adding that the injury saw him being sidelined for the 1982 AFCON although he made the squad.
“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 the AFCON after beating host nation Lybia on penalties in the final to claim their fourth and last title.
At Kotoko, Kwesi Appiah during his 10 years stay with the Reds established himself as one of the greatest full-backs in the club’s history.
He won seven Ghana Premier League titles, two domestic league cups, and one CAF Champions League then African Cup of Champions Clubs.
James Kwesi Appiah, after his retirement, served Kotoko as assistant coach between 1992 to 1995 before assuming the head coach role from 1995 to 1996.
