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ZIMBABWEAN football has its dark and mysterious side.
In this world games are played in the middle of the night, in dark huts full of slaughtered black chickens, a concoction of herbs and kilos of snuff.
Here tea are given score lines days before the match, coaches and players go into covenants with sangomas, vowing not to sleep with their wives until the day of the match.
They are also tasked with making sure that no females are allowed onto the pitch on match day among several other don’ts.
Almost everyone involved in local football claims to know of this juju world but no one is brave enough to admit that they believe in it.
However, events we have witnessed over the years make it difficult to argue against the notion that the use of juju is rampant in local football.
How can one explain a coach who asks one of his players to play an entire match holding a paper that has score line scribbled by some gap toothed sangomas from Mhondoro?
How about a goalkeeper who places needles on the goal line but claims its all mind games?
Mind games involving needles?
How many times have you seen teams insisting that a certain ball be used as the match ball never mind the referee’s concerns about its quality and weight?
We use juju in local football and we just need to accept it, this is who we are and there is nothing to be ashamed about it – nothing at all.
If there is juju for love, juju for money, juju to grow and shrink reproductive organs how can we dare claim that there is no juju that works in football?
Kallisto Pasuwa believes in holy water and stones and makes no apologies on it.
Those who believe in juju might as well borrow a leaf from the Warriors mentor.
Dynamos’ pork stance ahead of their Chibuku Super Cup clash against How Mine last Sunday once again brought to the fore debate on the use of juju.
Just a quick re-cap for the few that might have missed this latest not so glamourous episode from the once Glamour Boys.
How Mine pitched up for battle at Rufaro, headed for the away team‘s dressing room and lo and behold they were greeted by a rotten piece of pork.
There is a belief in local football circles that pork, just like salt, snuff and urine, neutralizes the potency of the opposition’s juju.
Yours truly is not saying DeMbare, or whoever placed the piece of pork in the visitors’ dressing room, believes in juju but How Mine coach Kelvin Kaindu pointed that way in his post match interview.
“What we found in the changing room it’s not there in sport, it’s not there honestly. If we can find a steak of rotten pork in our changing room, it’s not football. I know they are desperate for a win but honestly it’s not football. The fairness is not there,” said Kaindu whose team went on to win the tie on penalties.
As DeMbare were being accused of playing dirty another juju storm was exploding at Barbourfields with Highlanders fans accusing Mutare City goalkeeper Phillip Nhete of placing juju inside the goalposts.
The Bosso fans are reported to have thrown bottles of urine at Nhete’s goal in a bid to “level the playing field” after watching their team blow away some good chances.
Bosso went on to win the match 2-1.
There have been several suspected juju incidents in local football, including Hardlife Zvirekwi sprinkling urine on the Buffaloes bench at Gwanzura in April 2014, but it will take some time before there is one that matches Philani Ncube’s candles move.
The then How Mine coach lit candles in his team’s dressing room and left them burning as they beat Caps United in a 2013 Mbada Diamonds Cup semi-finals at the National Sports Stadium.
Ncube claimed they were using the candles to pray before the match.
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