The Game that Was
We fittingly spent Youth Day singing and shouting ourselves hoarse at the National Heroes Stadium, watching the final of the Under 20 Africa Cup of nations. It is a trip we had made for the previous two games, just that for the final, the noise was more than a notch louder and the crowd certainly rowdier. In that sea of Zambian flag scarfs, sweaty armpits and sweary lips we found our usual seats, helped in no small measure by the stewards who ignored the blatant fact that our tickets were for another part of the stadium.
Guinea and South Africa served up one of those insipid third-place play-offs. It was clear that both sets of players had other things on their minds. The only thing that kept our attention being the name of one of the South African defenders which in most of our local languages referred to a very tender portion of a female's anatomy. We roared it with such force of voice each time he touched the ball that it was clear we were all relishing this very rare opportunity to say out the word in question, loudly in public. It didn't matter that Guinea in the end nicked the match with a late penalty, we cheered the South African defender with the vociferousness of a crowd welcoming back a long lost hero.
A significant theme had been brewing around the final, even before a single ball was kicked between Zambia and Senegal. It involved the strange interface between religion/superstition and football or generally sport. Social media in the days leading up to the final was inundated by a video clip appearing to show a Senegalese player passing on to his colleague an object that mainstream opinion was sure was a charm meant to help his team win the match. A Guinean player can be seen in the same video vehemently and dejectedly protesting to the referee, who looks bewildered and does not heed the complaints. The Senegalese went on to win the game by a lone goal. Although I should hasten to add that, no one knows for sure what passed between the Senegalese players or whether indeed it helped them win the match. It could have been anything, a harmless portion of dry soil, a rolled up tactical plan or a used condom for all we know, you get my point.
One of a number of huge banners was unfurled by someone in front of us, reading "Senegal your Juju won't work.. we are a christian nation"or something to that effect. Rather vicious chantings of "Holy Ghost Fire!!" were heard ringing around the stadium as soon as the Senegalese team walked out to warm-up on the pitch. I noted that a group of Zambians of Indian origin who we all expect to be Muslim were among the most vocal as the stadium collectively rose to voice out its indignation.
This theme would go on to cause a number of flash-points in the match. Firstly I noted that each time a Senegalese player was substituted or sprawled to the ground injured, the camera would concentrate on his hands in an effort, I can only imagine, to see whether they would invoke the use of Juju.
But then faith or rather its public affirmation has been at display in the just ended tournament on more than one occasion. In fact it was "normal" practice through out the tournament for the Zambian team to come out for warm-up belting out religious hymns and going on to kneel around the centre circle and launching into a spate of fervent prayer. They would go on to perform a similar ritual at half-time and almost always at the conclusion of the match. Egypt equally in the game I watched them play against Zambia bowed religiously after they had taken the lead early on, although they ended up losing the match.
I would have thought that given the fact that thus far everyone had been allowed to enlist the help of a higher power, Senegal were also within their rights to do so, in the fashion they did. I find it hard to understand exactly what it was that incensed most of the football loving public. Both teams were appealing to higher power to help them overcome their opponents in my view. Which deity was being invoked does not really matter I would think, its about both teams seeking to gain advantage by invoking supernatural power.
Whatever it was, one or two things can be said. Firstly, there was added vigilance regarding player exchanges, enough to make a prison warden extremely proud. In one of the more bizarre incidents in the match, it caused a lengthy shoving match after it was alleged by a Zambian player that a suspicious object had been thrown into the Zambian goal by one of the Senegalese forwards. It is clear that if indeed this were a match between to supernatural powers, the one the Zambians subscribed to, won on the day.
It is not the first time that sport has been associated with the dark arts. Some might recall a certain wrestling match between the Late William "Tigerboy Nkandu" and a Congelese ominously named "Lubandi Mulozhi". Mulozhi went into the ring with a cloth that had some pale powder on it. Dancing and twitching like a possessed man, every swing of his powdered cloth sent Nkandu sprawling to the floor and had the same effect on the referee. The match had to be stopped when the referee collapsed and had to be stretchered out of the ring.
More recently, a video emerged of Ghanaian midfielder Andre Ayew spraying some unknown substance on the pitch in the recently ended Africa Cup of Nations, before a match with Egypt which Ghana lost anyway. A similar story was reported in the Rwandan Premier league.
World Football governing body FIFA does not legislate on the use of Juju. In fact former Zambian international, now Nkana Football Club Technical Director, Aggrey Chiyangi has even gone a step further to state that Juju, prayer or the invocation of higher powers does not work in football. It is about skill, tactics and a bit of luck I would add. This is a view I would like to accept for now. Maybe I am naive, but I would like to continue believing in the purity and fairness of sport at the very least.
There was fireworks, patched throats (they wouldn't allow us to go in with water). The coronation complete. Entreaties to God, a grinning president, sore limbs after I had to walk from the stadium to Emmasdale, jumping over gullies teeming with raw sewage, over powering stenches of urine and the relentless din from the Vuvuzelas. It was a reminder, that after this, life has to go on. And for many in that stadium, the euphoria of victory was only momentary respite from the rigors and pain of foraging for food, shelter and betterment. In a way it was the perfect conclusion to the tournament.
Anyway congratulations to the Zambia Under 20 National Team. Well done and all the best for the World Cup.
Guinea and South Africa served up one of those insipid third-place play-offs. It was clear that both sets of players had other things on their minds. The only thing that kept our attention being the name of one of the South African defenders which in most of our local languages referred to a very tender portion of a female's anatomy. We roared it with such force of voice each time he touched the ball that it was clear we were all relishing this very rare opportunity to say out the word in question, loudly in public. It didn't matter that Guinea in the end nicked the match with a late penalty, we cheered the South African defender with the vociferousness of a crowd welcoming back a long lost hero.
A significant theme had been brewing around the final, even before a single ball was kicked between Zambia and Senegal. It involved the strange interface between religion/superstition and football or generally sport. Social media in the days leading up to the final was inundated by a video clip appearing to show a Senegalese player passing on to his colleague an object that mainstream opinion was sure was a charm meant to help his team win the match. A Guinean player can be seen in the same video vehemently and dejectedly protesting to the referee, who looks bewildered and does not heed the complaints. The Senegalese went on to win the game by a lone goal. Although I should hasten to add that, no one knows for sure what passed between the Senegalese players or whether indeed it helped them win the match. It could have been anything, a harmless portion of dry soil, a rolled up tactical plan or a used condom for all we know, you get my point.
One of a number of huge banners was unfurled by someone in front of us, reading "Senegal your Juju won't work.. we are a christian nation"or something to that effect. Rather vicious chantings of "Holy Ghost Fire!!" were heard ringing around the stadium as soon as the Senegalese team walked out to warm-up on the pitch. I noted that a group of Zambians of Indian origin who we all expect to be Muslim were among the most vocal as the stadium collectively rose to voice out its indignation.
This theme would go on to cause a number of flash-points in the match. Firstly I noted that each time a Senegalese player was substituted or sprawled to the ground injured, the camera would concentrate on his hands in an effort, I can only imagine, to see whether they would invoke the use of Juju.
But then faith or rather its public affirmation has been at display in the just ended tournament on more than one occasion. In fact it was "normal" practice through out the tournament for the Zambian team to come out for warm-up belting out religious hymns and going on to kneel around the centre circle and launching into a spate of fervent prayer. They would go on to perform a similar ritual at half-time and almost always at the conclusion of the match. Egypt equally in the game I watched them play against Zambia bowed religiously after they had taken the lead early on, although they ended up losing the match.
I would have thought that given the fact that thus far everyone had been allowed to enlist the help of a higher power, Senegal were also within their rights to do so, in the fashion they did. I find it hard to understand exactly what it was that incensed most of the football loving public. Both teams were appealing to higher power to help them overcome their opponents in my view. Which deity was being invoked does not really matter I would think, its about both teams seeking to gain advantage by invoking supernatural power.
Whatever it was, one or two things can be said. Firstly, there was added vigilance regarding player exchanges, enough to make a prison warden extremely proud. In one of the more bizarre incidents in the match, it caused a lengthy shoving match after it was alleged by a Zambian player that a suspicious object had been thrown into the Zambian goal by one of the Senegalese forwards. It is clear that if indeed this were a match between to supernatural powers, the one the Zambians subscribed to, won on the day.
It is not the first time that sport has been associated with the dark arts. Some might recall a certain wrestling match between the Late William "Tigerboy Nkandu" and a Congelese ominously named "Lubandi Mulozhi". Mulozhi went into the ring with a cloth that had some pale powder on it. Dancing and twitching like a possessed man, every swing of his powdered cloth sent Nkandu sprawling to the floor and had the same effect on the referee. The match had to be stopped when the referee collapsed and had to be stretchered out of the ring.
More recently, a video emerged of Ghanaian midfielder Andre Ayew spraying some unknown substance on the pitch in the recently ended Africa Cup of Nations, before a match with Egypt which Ghana lost anyway. A similar story was reported in the Rwandan Premier league.
World Football governing body FIFA does not legislate on the use of Juju. In fact former Zambian international, now Nkana Football Club Technical Director, Aggrey Chiyangi has even gone a step further to state that Juju, prayer or the invocation of higher powers does not work in football. It is about skill, tactics and a bit of luck I would add. This is a view I would like to accept for now. Maybe I am naive, but I would like to continue believing in the purity and fairness of sport at the very least.
There was fireworks, patched throats (they wouldn't allow us to go in with water). The coronation complete. Entreaties to God, a grinning president, sore limbs after I had to walk from the stadium to Emmasdale, jumping over gullies teeming with raw sewage, over powering stenches of urine and the relentless din from the Vuvuzelas. It was a reminder, that after this, life has to go on. And for many in that stadium, the euphoria of victory was only momentary respite from the rigors and pain of foraging for food, shelter and betterment. In a way it was the perfect conclusion to the tournament.
Anyway congratulations to the Zambia Under 20 National Team. Well done and all the best for the World Cup.
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