Juju in African football

Juju in African football

The 2021 edition of the 33rd African Cup of Nations has come and gone. And the new champions of the African continent are the Teranga Lions of Senegal who waited for sixty full years to clinch the trophy and title they have now clinched for the very first time in their football history after numerous and numerous tries. They did so this year (2022) at the expense of the Pharaohs of Egypt with a total of seven championship victories.

Had they defeated the Teranga Lions last Sunday of February 6, 2022, they would have been champions eight times to increase their record of victories one more time. And they would have achieved the feat away from home and in Cameroon, the home of The Indomitable Lions, a significantly major force of African football, of all places. But the Pharaohs fell to the Teranga Lions aforesaid in the final that was expected to be between the Indomitable Lions and the Pharaohs (after Nigeria very surprisingly fell by the wayside).

Juju in African football

What was expected to be, however, did not happen.
The Pharaohs and the Indomitable Lions met in one of the semi-finals instead of in the final. And the Indomitable Lions, despite their massive home support, could not consume the Pharaohs, who in 2019 experienced the pains and pangs of defeat when they hosted the 32rd edition of the Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt and in their home turf. Algeria emerged as the winners and champions of that edition after beating and taming the Teranga Lions, who have just won the latest edition – as we all already know. And the Foxes of Algeria, the defending champions, were out-foxed and sent packing out of Cameroon in the group stage.

You may brand me as a writer of superstition. But you will be wrong and wrong and decidedly wrong and wrong to so brand me. On the eve of the Africa Cup of Nations tournament, just before the qualified teams and countries departed for Cameroon, a Senegalese witch-doctor or traditional medicine-man said it loud and clear that the Teranga Lions would lift the trophy, no matter what. He would definitely see to that. The Senegal based priest of shamanism without mincing words “prophesied” that the Teranga Lions would shamble to the final and to the final victory: their ungainly hunt right from the beginning would lead them to the shambles where they would feast and all preys in the final – against the Pharaohs.

The Olembe Stadium in Yaounde became the place where the Egyptians were brought to be slaughtered by the Senegalese. From the beginning to the very end it was a final match of force versus force. The very early penalty Mane of Senegal earned his team came to naught when the very player who earned it was charmed to direct his kick to India, which was straight to the waiting gloves and palms of the goal-keeper of Egypt. Indeed, Mane was commanded to play his penalty to India and he did. Would the force of Egypt shame the force of Senegal after all? Would the priest of shamanism directing his missile all the way from Dakar win against the immense and mighty magic of the Cairo magicians who blunted the fangs and claws of The Indomitable Lions of Cameroon earlier? The spiritually controlled penalty kicks, which constituted victory fluke for the Pharaohs were hit by a fluke of misfortune in the final against the Teranga Lions. And the Egyptians, excellent penalty shooters against the Cameroonians in the second semi final match, were flummoxed. Where was their magic against the Cameroonians? The priest of shamanism blunted it. And Senegal prevailed.

Juju in African football

In the case of Nigeria, everything was geared towards the fall of the Super Eagles in the round of sixteen against the Carthage Eagles of Tunisia. The beautiful feathers and wings of the Super Eagles became their ultimate self-overpowering weakness. All haters of the powers, physical and spiritual, behind the Super Eagles prayed and worked against our team. Those who don’t want the current Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to succeed were at work. Those who detested the presidency and the ones who are in charge of our national affairs, in every way, prayed against our team and worked for the descent and defeat of our Super Eagles. Thus their claws were blunted and their flying wings were turned into wings of weaklings. All the errors they committed were errors designed by incantations against them. Those who make Nigerians sad and un-happy with policies that crush them have no moral right to bask in our team’s sunlight of victory. Like a black ox, they should snort and bellow as they go before their plough bellowing victory they will never get or enjoy even if they get it. (And all those who are not comfortable with the looters of our patrimony should be appeased before we meet Ghana at the deciding matches that will take (or un-take) Nigeria to the Qatar World Cup this year).

Where have I landed? All victories and defeats earned and suffered in the just concluded Africa Cup of Nations came through the gracious help of African power, African juju that is. You better believe me. Everything that happened in Cameroon was unusually unusual. You better believe me.

As for Nigeria, let me reiterate: our central government and NFF must do the necessary, the needful and the rightful before we meet Ghana in the matches to determine who will go to Qatar between the two African powerful football nations.

You better believe me.

Afejuku can be reached via 08055213059.

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