Retired Ghanaian footballer Joseph Baah has revealed that he practised Buddhism at some point in his career when he played in Bhutan.
Sharing his experience, he stated that he joined FC Terton, a club based in Bhutan, a Buddhist kingdom in South Asia located between China and India.
He explained that although he was a Christian before making the move, he did not want to feel like an outsider.
He, therefore, converted to Buddhism to gain the trust and acceptance of his teammates.
“I am a Christian, but I became a Buddhist when I went to Bhutan. How else would they like you? I wanted the team and the environment I was in to love and trust me. I had heard about Buddha in Ghana, so it wasn’t new to me,” he said on the Gajio Podcast on YouTube.
Baah added that he was also fascinated by the Bhutanese culture, particularly their low crime rate.
“When I arrived, after one or two weeks, I realized they were genuine people. In Bhutan, nobody steals. If people find lost items, they take them to the police, and the crime rate is very low. So I wanted to be a part of that. I would return to Christianity when I came back to Ghana,” he said.
Describing his experience with Buddhism, he noted that the religion is not much different from Christianity and Islam.
He explained that Buddhists are taught morals similar to those of the other two religions.
“It is just like Christianity. They have places of worship and monks who lead and teach us what to do and what not to do. Their teachings are the same as Christianity and Islam—do not steal, do not speak ill of others, and similar principles.”
Joseph Baah played for Bhutanese side FC Terton towards the end of his career. However, recurring knee injuries ultimately forced him into early retirement in the 2019/2020 season.
He is currently the head coach of Ghana Women’s Premier League side Jonina Ladies, competing in the Southen Zone.
Watch Joseph Baah narrate his experience in Bhutan in the video below from 15:00
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