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Fungai Muderere
One thing for sure, as Africans (juju) is there, most clubs practice voodoo but (for) us, we are God loving people, so we pray to the good Lord to guide us (through),” these were the words uttered by Chicken Inn coach Joey Antipas after his side smashed the goalpost several times on the same goal end during their match against Hwange played on Wednesday at Luveve Stadium.
Chicken Inn edged the bottom-placed coalminers 1-0, in a tie that many could testify that the Gamecocks could have registered a rugby scoreline.
Gamecocks’ forwards Brian Muza, Michael Charamba, George Majika and substitute Innocent Mucheneka took turns to miss several glorious chances with Chipangano goalkeeper Bhekimpilo Ncube, a veteran of many football battles, already a beaten man.
It was a development that saw a number of people at Luveve Stadium’s VIP section in disbelief saying something was wrong at the western end goal at the playing facility.
Interestingly, former Hwange striker Brighton “Ba” Makopa scored the solitary goal of the match in the first minute at the opposite end.
He converted after 48 seconds in what could be the fastest goal of the season which was found on a day they could have feasted on his visiting former paymasters.
However, football — wherever it is played in the world — carries a streak of mystery.
It is known that a low-scoring sport is prone to wild swings in momentum and fans long to make sense of the unexplainable.
Add a dose of pride and the tense nature of seeking to win a game which creates a particularly ripe atmosphere for superstition.
It’s a story that has been told a thousand times in football, some believe it, some don’t.
Some think it is mere mind games to psychologically defeat opponents while others swear by everything, they hold dear that a team cannot win a game without the help of magical charms.
It could be more divisive than even the issue of fanatical following of football clubs where fans give their all for a team and may be intolerant of negative comments about the club they support.
The issue of juju or the use of “supernatural forces” to influence the outcome of matches has been whispered about from the time the first teams in Africa kicked a football in the country, just after the First World War in the 1920s.
It has stood the test of time and even today, fans oft erupt in a roar of anger when an opposing team does pre-match rituals perceived to be some form of juju that would put their team at a disadvantage.
Online Reporter