Norton – IN 2017 football legend and former Dynamos captain Memory Mucherahohwa released a controversial auto – biography (Seven Million Dreams), in which he made startling claims that Dynamos used juju on and off the pitch.
He even confessed that he was the juju carrier while ball boys and staunch supporters in the ‘kitchen cabinet’ were also used as conduits.
More than a decade later Mucherahohwa ‘s claims on the use of juju in local football, a similar spectacle unfolded on Saturday at Ngoni stadium during the Northern Region division one crunch tie pitting MWOs FC and Scottland FC owned by ZANU PF legislator Scott Sakupwanya’.
Clergyman Reverend Obadiah Musindo made startling revelations to that he witnessed a supporter from MWOs FC rushing to the opponent goalposts holding some muti and sprinkled it there resulting in a goal within three minutes of the ‘ritual’.
Ironically MWOs head coach Lloyd Mutasa is a Dynamos son whose former captain claimed used juju!
“I am not a soccer fanatic that much but my good brother Scott Sakupwanya invited me to the match .
” From a distance, I saw what I never thought will ever happen in soccer. I saw people using juju to influence the outcome of the match,” said Musindo.
While they has been no concrete evidence regarding the power of juju on match results, Musindo said the psychological effect of it, is huge.
“We can’t talk about soccer development when we still believe in juju. This is archaic.
” While Scottland was leading, I saw a supporter from Mwos FC rushing to their opponents goalpost holding some muti and placed it there. “Within three minutes Mwoos equalized,” Musindo said
“I am a Reverend and generally I don’t believe in the under world but seeing such things happen, it is very worrying,” he said.
This act was the bone of contention and Sakupwanya had to diplomatically engage the Mwos FC veteran coach Lloyd Mutasa to register his displeasure.
While they were claims that Sakupwanya angrily approached Mutasa while the match was still on , Musindo said the Mabvuku-Tafara MP engaged Mutasa the Mwoos gaffer after the game.
“He raised his concerns soon after the game and at not point was he confrontational. Just that he is popular and wherever he is, they would be hangers on ,some who are overzealous and rowdy. But to say he was confrontational the coach, is a lie,” said Musindo.
Infact, Scott and Mwoos proprietor Tamson Tamuka exchanged their Jerseys and hugged each other in a sign of sportsmanship.
Another supporter said “do people know violence or being confrontational or they just say things out of the blue? At least from where I was, Scott did not shout or show signs of violence. He was just worried with the manner in which the Juju issue played out. More so, sport is now a science and the use of such antics are retrogressive,” said Fadzai Gwazura a Scottland supporter.
When the referee blew his final whistle to end the contest, which finished 1-1 after Arthur Banda’s late header cancelled out Denver Mukamba’s first half volley, Sakupwanya stormed the pitch and could be heard yelling at Mutasa, accusing the former Dynamos midfielder of juju antics.
Sakupwanya’s bone of contention was a ball boy being seen sprinkling some liquid substance near Scotland goalkeeper Panashe Nyabunga’s goal area before Banda restored parity for the home side with two minutes of regulation time left.
Apart from the juju act, the clash provided value for money for the more than 3000 spectators who were in attendance, as both sides showed why they are in the Northern Region Soccer League title matrix.
