AFCON
AHEAD OF SENEGAL MATCH, BENIN ENGAGES JUJU FOR SUCCESS
The sound of drumbeats, hand claps and women singing fill the air at a shrine in Cotonou in the West African nation of Benin, homeland of voodoo.
But these days the ceremonies are a little bit different, as people
pray for the country’s football team to make further historic progress at the
Africa Cup of Nations.
Benin shocked Morocco on penalties in the round of 16 to record its first ever victory in the competition and progress to a quarter-final showdown with Senegal on Wednesday.
And for believers in the country where voodoo is widely practised alongside Christianity and Islam, help from the spirit world has spurred on the players.
On Sunday, Dah Gbediga, president of the indigenous religions of Benin, was joined by several other vodunsi practitioners for a “special ceremony to support the Squirrels”, as the national squad are nicknamed.
After sacrificing a goat and three sheep behind closed doors he emerged with his chest bared accompanied by a toothless priestess in her sixties who led the prayers in front of around a hundred followers.
“This is something new for our players in this competition, people think we will make a poor showing, but they are wrong, we are committed to doing our best,” intoned the priestess, Tangninnon, gripping a gourd of water and her walking stick.
Dah Gbediga said he has been praying for the team since well before the tournament began.
“There is a march towards progress in football with the support of the ancestors and nothing else should stop us,” he told AFP, wearing a beaded skullcap and necklace.
“We achieved what we had never done before this year, we have impressed the whole world and we ask the ancestors to make it last for as long as possible.”
– ‘Pushed us this far’ –
It is not just at this shrine that prayers are being offered for the team.
Victor Adoko, a fan of the Squirrels and priest of the thunder deity Hevioso, believes that they can go all the way to the final.
As the players notched up three draws to squeak through the group stages he turned to his fetishes.
“It is to increase the chances of the team,” he explained.
Voodoo, a religion more often called “vodun” in west Africa, has a hierarchy of deities and tribal nature spirits, embracing magical practises and healing remedies considered divine.
The use of fetishes and rituals has often been poorly served by Hollywood, which tends to turn a world where revered ancestors exist alongside the living into a source of black magic.
Football fans — like others in the country — are split between believers and non-believers.
Supporter Adeline Tonouewa, a follower of divinity Thron, says she has offered up cola nuts and libations to the spirit’s fetish in the hope of victory.
“It has played its role,” she said.
Paulin Kintonou, an actor and voodoo believer, agreed that spiritual forces have made the difference.
“I have the firm conviction that it is these prayers that have pushed us this far,” he said.
“Our religious elders are on our side.”
But telecoms worker Enock Agasounon was not so convinced and insisted most of the credit had to go to the players.
“Nothing comes for free, even if you ask for it in your prayers in church and end up getting it,” he said.
“The Squirrels have the talent and have performed well. Above all it is down to their efforts — the prayers come second.”
-AFP
The Libyan Football Federation (LFF) has sacked its Serbian coach, Milutin Sredojević who is popularly known as Micho.
This is coming ahead of Libya’s back-to-back Africa Cup of Nations clashes with Nigeria next month.
Paradoxically, Sports Village Square gathered that the coach’s contract was only recently renewed for six months before the axe fell on the Serbian.
His sack was precipitated by the results obtained in their teo matches of the AFCON qualifiers.
Libya drew 1-1 with Rwanda at home and lost 2-1 away to Benin Republic despite beig a goal up at half time.
The Libyan side, Mediterranean Knights are due to play against the Nigeria Super Eagles in Uyo on 6 October while the return leg holds on 14 October at the 11 July Stadium in Tripoli.
According to information Sports Village Square gathered from Tripoli, the Mediterranean Knights’ coach, Micho led the Libyan national team to win nine matches since taking over in October of last year, he failed to build a strong team due to his poor choices.
He also took a risk with the footballers chosen in the AFCON qualifiers, and the result was shocking to the Libyan sports audience.
According to sources close to the Libyan Football Federation, there is a strong tendency to sign a national coach to lead the Libyan team during the remaining qualifiers for the African Cup of Nations.
CAF President Patrice Motsepe has lashed out at Ghana and some other African countries whose home grounds were recently banned from hosting CAF matches owing to inadequate facilities. He made the remarks in Nairobi, Kenya during a press conference,
After the MatchDay 2 of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, CAF ruled Ghana’s Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi as being inadequate to host international matches. Being the only approved ground in the country, Ghana will now look towards either Cote d’Ivoire or Togo for their remaining home matches of the Afcon qualifiers.
Other African countries without approved home grounds are: Djibouti, Chad, Niger, Eritrea, Gabon, Sudan, Zimbabwe, Madagascar, São Tomé and Burundi.
Motsepe voiced his frustration over the recurring issue of nations being unable to host home games.
“Nothing frustrates me more than a national team or club side having to play home matches outside,” he stated.
He stressed the significance of playing in front of home fans, adding, “You can’t grow football if the national teams or club sides aren’t playing in front of their home fans.”
Motsepe reiterated CAF’s commitment to working with countries to ensure they have at least one suitable stadium to host international fixtures.
“Our conversations in every country are to make sure there is at least one stadium capable of hosting a CAF category C game,” he emphasized.
The on-going CAF AFCON Cote d’Ivoire 2023 Coaches Symposium in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire has brought together, the last three coaches that handled the Nigeria national football team.
Gernot Rohr, Jose Peseiro and Austin Eguavoen are part of the the elite coaches currently gathered in Abidjan.
Gernot Rohr whose tenure of 5 years and 55 matches is the longest ever by any coach in Nigeria, is currently handling Nigeria’s Africa Cupof Nations and World Cup qualifying rivals, Benin Republic. He was succeeded in the interim by Austin Eguavoen who is currently having another interim stint.
Peseiro left his position after the Africa Cup of Nations
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