If I may, I´d like to contribute to your very interesting conversation on rituals / magic / witchcraft in Football.

After a stiff theoretical research, I was travelling with a my crew for several months in Tanzania, Uganda, Ghana, Rep. of South Africa and Swaziland (2005 / 2006).

I was glad to be introduced to CAF directors, National Coaches, club coaches, football officials on all levels, players, managers, Ministers of Sport and Education, National Football Ass., teamadvisers and medical Doctors.

I also had the great opportunity to conduct & to film large scale interviews / secret ceremonies with traditional healers / spiritual mediums, witchdoctors, mushongas, Inyangas, Juju men ect. (various categories, the names change due to ethnic background / function).

My 1st motivation as an author and documentary film producer / director was simply to separate the “cooked stories” in newspapers and the internet (for instance “the team of 11 congolese players killed by lightning”) from the myths and the relevant parts / true elements of narrations, traditions and ceremonies and so called witchcraft practices.

I had met with a lot of wonderful people in those african countries and I have learned a few things on the players motivation to visit a witchdoctor. (Or sometimes they were sent by the management against their own conviction to take part in a “special project” / witchcraft ceremony or magic ritual.

Feel free to study a small part of a very intense interview with a Mushonga in South Africa´s Limpopo Province, bordering Zimbabwe:
Mushonga:
“I have been a mushonga, a traditional healer and witchdoctor since 1971. Mainly footballers come to me for help, although other sportsmen or even scientists consult me too. Players usually come on their own to get advice, because they haven’t played well or simply haven’t scored enough goals. Sometimes the whole team comes with managers. They say they need more luck, or something to bring them luck. We mushongas can help.

I advise players from “Vaal Professionals”, the “Kaizer Chiefs” and the “Moroka Swallows”. I’ve helped a lot of other teams, but I’ve had close contacts to these teams for a long time. In fact, I’ve worked with them since the clubs were founded.

In my experience, most people are afraid to openly admit that they practise such rituals because they go to church on Sundays with the Bible under their arms!
(…)
But God is there for us all! This confuses a lot of athletes. They worship God or pray for good luck, but that won’t happen! Because sport is a “game” and you don’t need God when you’re playing a game. God is not a gambler!

That’s why you need a mushonga like me, to be lucky. God is there for us all: that’s why he can’t protect one person or a team and leave the others alone!”

Maybe it this of interest for you.

Best,

Oliver

Thanks for the great blogging!

http://football.guardian.co.uk/continentalfootball/story/0,,2048473,00.html

An interesting subject to be included, I think, in a book about soccer culture in America would be the players who defect from Cuba and come play in the MLS. The stories of these men are sure to be interesting.

Jay - I would like to cover soccer in the rest of the world. As you’ve probably noticed, my interest is not just in American soccer. However, the plan that I mentioned would cover a lot about immigrants playing soccer in the US and in that sense would be more international.

One other idea I’ve had is to write a primer on anthtropology using sports, especially soccer, as examples to explain basic concepts. Since I’m getting my PhD in anthro, I’ll have a good knowledge of the discipline and can hopefully use my interest in sports to help others understand and appreciate anthropology more.

If you have any suggestions for book ideas about the rest of the world, I’d love to hear them.