“I used to go to a place in Senegal where they used to ‘cook’ me

 

Former Nigeria World Cup defender Taribo West has admitted he practised voodoo rites so as to become a better player.

West featured at two World Cups and starred for several top clubs including Auxerre and Milan giants, AC and Inter.

“I looked for supernatural powers to play football. I was into a lot of things both in Nigeria and outside the country,” West disclosed

“I used to go to a place in Senegal where they used to ‘cook’ me and after that I would be assured that no attacker would go past me on the pitch and score against my goalkeeper.

“They cut my legs with knife and put some fetish things inside. I would stay for two nights without bathing and every part of my body would be smelling.”

He added: “Papa Samba, my first manager, was Senegalese. So, he introduced me to the voodoo people in his country. He knows all the powerful voodoo people in his country.

“I had some people who worked for me in Nigeria. They would ask me to send money for sacrifice and rituals. They would kill a big cow and tell me what would happen in the next two months. At the end of the day, it would happen exactly the way they had predicted

“These things worked, but the problem was that they didn’t last. I spent a lot on sacrifice, but it ended in vain.”

Taribo West is now a born-again Christian and founded a ministry, Shelter in the Storm, at his former base of Italy.