For the entire 90 minutes of the game, the two teams’ players, backed by their supporters, fought over which ball should be used during the game. The squabble began when the platinum miners’ Ali Sadiki threw out a match ball provided by his side’s opponents and replacing it with the one brought by his team.
From then on, the match became a comical affair and each time a new ball was thrown in, the hosts refused to have it and their players would wait for theirs to be brought back.
Apparently, the FC Platinum players suspected Hardbody had smeared their ball with Juju to try and win the game, which ended in a 0-0 stalemate. The visitors later did the same thing, resulting in chaos that needed police intervention, after Hardbody secretary, Talkmore Tizi, grabbed the Platinum miners’ ball and put it under his chair. The hosts’ bouncers fought him for more than 15 minutes.
Sadiki was at it again in the second half, when he threw the ball into of Hardbody’s goal to try and “break the power of the Juju” that had allegedly been put there to prevent them from scoring.
Last year, another case of suspected Juju was witnessed at FC Platinum’s decisive match against Dynamos at Mandava, where a brawl ensued after one of the hosts’ officials had smeared controversial liquid on the centre line before the match started.
Though no solid explanation has been given as to whether or not Juju exists in soccer, cases of mistrust against each other continue between clubs. A couple of years back, the PSL executive had to introduce hefty fines on teams that refused to enter their hosts’ dressing rooms, a trend that had become a cause for concern.
Meanwhile, log-leaders Highlanders have now gone for 18 matches without tasting a defeat this season and lie on 42 points, eight ahead of reigning champions Dynamos. Bosso edged Gunners 1-0 at Barbourfields Stadium on Sunday, while Dynamos emerged 2-0 winners over relegation candidates, Quelaton. Chipo Tsodzo, who had joined the troubled side as a player three weeks, sat on the bench as interim coach, following the departure of the entire technical team led by Philani “Beefy” Ncube.
Post published in: Football