In 1989, the Football Federation of Zimbabwe suspended four football players from the first league club of the national championship, Tongogara, for life. For hooligan antics or a fight? For playing an underground sweepstakes? For selling a match?
Not. For … following the instructions of the doctor of the black magic team. In the 80s and 90s of the last century, the Zimbabwe Football Federation, like the federations of a number of other African countries, persistently fought football sorcerers, experts in black magic, and various shamans. Magic specialists under the name "doctor" were included in the staff of many not only club teams, but also national teams. So what exactly were the disqualified guilty of? The fact is that the Tongogara shaman advised them to urinate before the next match at the moment when the teams line up in the center in front of each other. This should have embarrassed and thereby deprived the powers of the spirits who helped the rivals. The shamanic advice was put into practice, but for some reason Tongogara lost 0: 2 … Everything would be fine: just think, another proof of the inaccuracy of magical sciences, but the national football federation intervened. Its then president, Nelson Chirwa, said: “These rites are an open insult to football and the public. We all know well that shamanistic rites are fiction. Let many continue to believe in witchcraft manipulations, but we will not allow anyone to offend the dignity of the fans. We have already warned about this. Our decision to disqualify is a reminder to other teams that we will not tolerate such things. " Similar situations happened and similar preventive measures were applied in many countries of the Black Continent. Africa outwardly defeated football shamanism: acts like the "Tongogar Falls" do not happen now, but, for example, sneak into the stadium on the night before the match and bury the head of the sacrificial rooster under the necessary gates … Even the artificial field of the Swaziland national stadium in Mbabana suffered until round-the-clock security was set up. Yes, and strange personalities in the leadership of African clubs and even national teams are still found. But sometimes you really can't find a logical explanation when the ball never hits the goal or, on the contrary, ends up there despite the development of events in the match … Therefore, two out of three players believe in omens, and the third periodically expresses: “I'm not superstitious, but these the coincidences have already gotten. " Football is a witchcraft game. You can't think of any other reason.
And that is why today football Africa does not forget about shamans. Every now and then there is information about new "miracles" of football shamanism and its consequences. For example, in Swaziland, a criminal case was brought up again against a shaman who ruined the field of the National Stadium in the capital Mbabane during a ritual. It seems that African football will never give up the help of otherworldly forces.
