Where Has the Muti Gone?
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The Star FRIDAY OCTOBER 30 2015 SOCCER 29 Nigeria rout Australia WHERE HAS THE MUTI GONE? to reach quarter-finals FORMER champions Brazil, Mexico and Nigeria rolled back the years by emerging victorious in their respective Fifa Under-17 World Cup Round of 16 Ahead of tomorrow’s Soweto derby, Nick Kariuki talks to former players and coaches about the use of muti in games matches. Nigeria saw off Australia in a dominant perform- URING every World Cup even a bathroom stall. ance, with Victor Osimhen scoring the first hat-trick western media has a pre- Today, muti is not a direct of Chile 2015 to see him stand alone as the outright D dictable habit of search- part of the sport’s culture, it is top goalscorer in the competition with seven goals. ing for the juju man or witch doc- more a reflection of the indige- They were joined by Belgium, who won in their tor amongst the fans during nous heritage that the teams that first knockout game at this level, in completing the games featuring African sides. practice it represent. As such, first half of Chile 2015’s quarter-final line-up on a The ornately decorated, mys- many of today’s coaches have day of penalty drama, birthday celebrations and terious and larger-than-life man chosen to respectfully turn a emotional farewells for the hosts. Mexico came that they envision harkens back blind eye to individuals who use from behind to dump Chile out of the competition, to the politically-incorrect stereo- it. cantering to a 4-1 victory courtesy of goals from type that is better left in the pile “I’m just trying to get my team Claudio Zamudio, Pablo Lopez, Eduardo Aguirre of lazy misconceptions. to play and win games and those and Diego Cortes after Brian Leiva had put La What many Africans are things I don’t get involved in,” Roja ahead. loathe to admit to the western said Igesund. James McGarry had an afternoon to forget for world though is that he may actu- “I don’t tell a player ‘don’t do New Zealand, first blasting a penalty over the bar ally be at the match. this or don’t do that’. If he wants before fouling Luis Henrique to concede a late spot The prevalence of muti in top- to do a certain thing he does it on kick – converted by the Brazilian No9 to send A level professional South African his own or wherever he does it. I Seleção into the quarter-finals. football has decreased over the respect that and let him get on Korea Republic wonderkid Lee Seungwoo missed generations. with it.” a penalty after birthday boy Jorn Vancamp had What was once a very com- A Christian, Igesund offers become the first player to breach the Asian side’s mon practice with deep rever- team prayers in his changing defence in Chile, with Matthias Verreth’s late stun- ence and peer pressure to partic- room before games, which play- ner rubberstamping the 10-men of Les Diables ipate, has now become another ers can chose to participate in or Rouges’ progress. cultural method that players or not. He said that muti, or any Nigeria’s 6-0 victory over Australia is the joint- teams may privately use to build other pre-match practices or rit- biggest win in the history of the U17 World Cup confidence and which is uals have never really disrupted knockout stages, level with Japan’s 6-0 win against respected as a personal belief. his maintaining a controlled New Zealand in 2011, also in the Round of 16. – ANA “Working in the years gone by environment. it was very prevalent in our foot- “I must say it’s never really ball society,” said George “Best” been a big issue with me with More, who began his playing any of the teams, I think we’ve career in the 1960s and played for man-managed it and we don’t both Soweto giants Kaizer Chiefs victimise anybody who wants to and Orlando Pirates. “Most of do a certain thing or whatever the teams used muti and it was a the case may be is,” he said. precondition after all; if you’re Of the 32 PSL and NFD sides playing in a team you must know currently playing asked for infor- that there is muti and you’re mation about their muti men, going to be a part of it and use past or present, none responded muti also.” by the time of publishing. On a team level, the rituals A Sangoma named S’Bonelo and practices took many shapes Madelo took credit for Bafana and forms and varied from team Bafana’s 2-1 victory over France to team. A specially prepared, in the 2010 World Cup after the watery mix was sprinkled on Safa paid him R10 000 of his players’ kits before going out to R100 000 fee. Madelo then threat- warm up and play. In the chang- ened to use his powers to make ing rooms players would have a South Africa lose until Safa paid tub or bucket to wash themselves him what he was owed. with the same mystery liquid. Rituals similar to muti are not The bathing ritual may have exclusive to South African soccer, also been performed in a nearby or Africa for that matter. In river. Moloi’s playing career abroad he Sometimes the muti was a liq- OPENING A CHANNEL: Traditional healers prepare to burn the herb impepho, which helps them to communicate with their ancestors. encountered pre-game rituals uid or a substance you would that he found had very similar ingest: “At times we had to drink Church.” pate in muti was often so strong point Hodgkin stood up and After the team won 2-1, Da spiritual connotations to muti. In a lot of water in order to vomit When Pubs folded, there was a that even players who didn’t walked over to the Bush Bucks’ Silva attributed the victory to the his time at Turkish side back out the old water,” More popular belief that their lack of believe in the spiritual power of bench. Then, in front of the fans, detour. Gaziantepspor, a goat was often said. muti practice contributed to the it found it easier to participate he poured the water from his bot- Moloi said that the prevalence slaughtered before a match and Razors were used to cut parts club’s downfall. A team’s muti than not. That’s not to say that a tle on to and around the bench. of muti was rife when his father, players would dip there finger in of the body and the blood would was as closely protected as its tac- player couldn’t back out. “The crowd went crazy, they Percy “Chippa Chippa” Moloi, the blood and dab it on their fore- be used as an ingredient for fur- tics, and any attempts to damage “If I wanted to be involved I wanted to half-murder him,” was playing. During his time as a heads prior to walking out of the ther rituals. or take a player or team’s muti would be involved. If I didn’t Fredericks said with a laugh. player the practice was still tunnel. The changing room was filled was met with anger and threats want to be involved I would “Later on we beat them 1-0 and common and accepted as part of “You’ll find in Colombia, they with smoke or scents, sometimes of violence. Swapping shirts or refuse,” said Igesund, “I would Ryan comes and says ‘I told you the culture of teams in the take a washing dish, just a small rendering it unusable, spiritu- even engaging the opposition be- say: ‘No, I don’t be want to be in- that would work!’ ” league. washing dish, pour a lot of water ally or practically, for visiting fore kick off was met with anger volved in this because I believe in Some coaches who were from “That is how we lived. It was- the night before and they put teams. by the inyanga. x-y-z’. Everybody had where they backgrounds that did not involve n’t something that we were some shrubs or herbs in there,” “The captain used to go the “At that time the perimeters stood so it was not a matter of muti, like former Bafana Bafana ashamed or shy of. It was some- Moloi said. the opposition change room to were not as guarded as they are forcing something down some- coach and Peruvian Augusto thing that we found happening in “Then before you walk out for check the cards and the player now,” said former Orlando body or saying that’s right or Palacios, would not allow the the game and we just followed,” warm up, you just sprinkle it on would come back and say: ‘Hey, I Pirates player Teboho Moloi, now what’s wrong.” team to stage muti ceremonies. Moloi said. your feet or wherever.” couldn’t even see the cards there an assistant coach with the Sea However, opting out of the rit- Others, like Brazilian Walter da Moloi describes the levels that “I was actually surprised to was so much smoke in the Robbers. uals made you an easy scapegoat Silva, embraced it. he sees today as a coach as sim- see that even overseas there are change room’ and everybody “You’d see a supporter jump when your performance, or the “You know, psychologically, he mering compared to his time as a some players who do that,” he would have a laugh,” Gordon Ige- over and run into the goal and team’s result weren’t going well.