Bad Juju Forces Malawian Soccer Teams to Play a Man Short

By: Bob | May 16th, 2007

It is an age old dilemma for coaches and players alike. Do you ignore the bad juju and go for a win, or do you sacrifice a player for the good of the spirits? This question was put to the test in a recent Super League football game between Moyale Barracks and hosts Dwangwa United in the African nation of Malawi.

For those who don’t follow traditional African beliefs, juju is an aura or a magical property that has to do with the spirits. If you have good juju you can conquer the world. If there is bad juju, you might as well crawl under your bed and hide. African football has a history of juju-related incidents, but the one in Malawi might be one a first.

It all reportedly started in the first half when visiting Moyale realised that Dwangwa’s 11 player Winter Mpota was outside the field of play and only entered the pitch when the full squad for the visitors hand marched onto the pitch.

Suspicious of the hosts’ behaviour, Moyale also followed suit at the start of the second half when they instructed their midfielder Charles Kamanga to stay outside the field of play, waiting for Dwangwa’s Mpota to enter first.

To the surprise of the sizeable crowd, Mpota never entered the pitch and Moyale’s Kamanga also stayed put, forcing referee A. Maseko to proceed with game with both teams featuring 10 men each.

It turned out to be an excellent coaching decision as Moyale came away with a 2-1 victory. Take that, bad juju!

Imagine how much they would have won by if they had turned their shorts inside out.

Some five years ago, one of Big Bullets players played the second half with his shorts turned inside out in the second half of a Super League match at Kamuzu Stadium, believing that could be a charm for him to score.

In yet other incidents, teams have refused to use the entrance to the dressing rooms at soccer venues in fear of juju while other clubs have climbed fences instead of the usual gates to the pitch, fearing juju.

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