His living room is one decorated with shimmering trophies and gilt picture frames hanged on the grey walls.
The blue sofa and other furniture in his magnificent building are purely Italian, offering an amount of comfort that can nearly erase one’s worst memories.
But these have not been enough to help former Black Stars and Asante Kotoko player Charles Taylor out of his past of pain, worry and a marred football career.
The super dribbler Taylor was the toast of Ghana football in his heyday between 2000 and 2005 earning him the nickname “Beyie” or wizard – his skills on the turf were unparalleled.
But all the glory and gleaming success soon took a nosedive when Taylor began to experience injuries.
He had two surgeries after seeking a transfer from Accra Hearts of Oak to their arch-rivals Kumasi Asante Kotoko. This meant he was on the bench for most of the team’s matches – and this was where his troubles began.
In the JoyFM Hotline documentary Spirit Football, Taylor talks about how a colleague player used black magic or juju to destroy his career.
“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.
“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,” he told Joy Sports’ Benedict Owusu.
For Taylor, black magic is the cause of the rise and sudden fall of many football players in Ghana.
“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.
Destroy my legs
Taylor’s woes are best told with his exact words.
“I have never gone to see anybody to destroy the career of any player but the person who did what happened to me told me that they brought me to him to destroy my legs so I will be operated on several times and then stop playing. I have been operated twice and it was after these that the person said he had regretted doing bewitching me.
“They took me to Asante Bekwai and I was amazed at what I saw, my picture was hanged in a small room and they had griped the picture with an iron rod. They had a statue of me in the room of the spiritualist which they consistently put blood on it.
“Because I wanted to have a witness, I went with a police officer, the police officer went in before I followed him because in my whole life I have never entered a room like that before.
“I must say what I saw was scary so I called one of your colleagues Adam Adjei. I made the man know that he is my brother so he told him everything.
“I want the whole world to know that what happened to me was something someone masterminded. According to the guy who took me to the spiritualist, they were not pleased with me when I left Hearts for Kotoko so the supporters wing in Kumasi decided to destroy my career by going to see the man.
Beyond Ghana
“I am still playing active football and if I wanted to play a team in Ghana, I would have been playing in the Ghana league. But I have decided not to do so because of the treatment meted out to the players in the league. I will not play here.
“I have a family to take care of so playing where you will not be paid or may not get a signing-on fee. My family can even worry me so I think if I travel is better than be in this country to play.
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