PATRICK BALOYI
JOHANNESBURG - Call it muti, fetishism, juju or any of a thousand names, witchcraft is alive, well and flourishing in African football.
Everywhere on the continent, football games ooze the scent of witchcraft. Stadiums are cordoned off on the eve of a match by home team supporters – ostensibly to prevent the visiting team’s fans from planting talismans on the field.
Players are sometimes known to devote more time to rituals than training. Dragged to village shrines, they undergo all kinds of rituals. Animals are slaughtered and their blood used for the preparation of liquids in which players are forced to bathe. They will have their bodies cut and powdery substances rubbed in the wounds, after which they will be made to drink concoctions and wear rings on their hands.
Funny things happen in African football, but there is no evidence that supernatural forces have done anything to develop the game.
Perhaps the reason the use of witchcraft is so secretive is that it is frowned upon by westerners. But is it really different to what Christians do before a game? After all, Spanish giants Barcelona have a chapel leading off the players’ tunnel.
Most players follow superstitious rituals, whether it is the way they tie their boots, or the order they leave the changing room.
With the use of muti on the continent arguably just another way for football teams to psyche themselves up before a game to try and gain that little extra advantage, do the PSL teams follow that ritual?
After a string of spectacular performances, including crucial saves in penalty shootouts that won Kaizer Chiefs two Rothmans Cup finals, stories began to circulate that goalkeeper Brian Baloyi kept muti in his bag. When he kissed the bag after one of those penalty saves in the 1998 final it only served to strengthen the rumours.
There is no secret that SuperSport United use “holy water” from the ZCC, something assistant coach Thomas Madigage is not shy about.
But does muti really work and, with South Africa’s diverse backgrounds, are white players often reticent about the use of muti?
With the league’s monthly grant having been increased to R1-million and the richest tournament in the country, the Telkom Knockout starting next Wednesday, CitiStriker asked some of the Premier League sides whether the magic of muti plays a mystical part in the fortunes of their clubs.
SuperSport United: “No we don’t use muti. We only pray through the ZCC and if you can visit our dressing room, you will smell nothing sinister. But go to Black Leopards, Jomo Cosmos and Moroka Swallows dressing rooms, then you will know what muti is all about,” said United spin doctor David Skosana.
Jomo Cosmos: “I have been at Cosmos for the past 13 years and I have never seen any muti being used. We just sing our lungs out and from there we pray without the use of anything like muti. Skosana of United, who claims that we are using muti, has never been in our dressing room and is talking of something he knows little about,” said Cosmos manager Andrew Rabutla.
Ajax Cape Town: “Anybody can enter our dressing room without hesitation. We have 60% coloured, 35% blacks and 5% whites and it will be difficult to balance the use of muti. Our boss John Commitis is Greek, our coach Greg Roslee is a white man and I am the only black man in management and I don’t believe in muti,” said Ajax PRO Shoes Mekuto.
AmaZulu: “Muti is part of our culture and heritage and I am not ashamed to say we use it. We believe in it and even though some teams might distance themselves saying that they don’t use it, they are lying,” said Usuthu’s manager James Dlamini.
Bidvest Wits University: “No we don’t use muti at Wits. We believe in prayer and that is the reason we have been doing well so far and hopefully the Almighty will sustain us until the end of the season,” said Wits PRO Dennis Tshabalala.
Orlando Pirates: “The players pray a lot. It is a pity that we have been praying hard but the results have not been forthcoming. Our supporters must pray with us. We are a team with a rich history and our ancestors are also praying with us and I believe that we will turn the corner just through prayer,” said Pirates PRO Mickey Modisane.
Kaizer Chiefs: “Every team has its own rituals. People do a lot of things and it is normal but here at Chiefs I have never seen muti being used. The important thing is how you prepare your team and how fit psychologically they are,” said Chiefs manager Bobby Motaung.