Association Football and Spirituality

Every time a soccer player prepares for a game, there is always an impulsive surrender to the supernatural. Players have different ways of surrendering themselves to the control of the supernatural. There are those who visibly surrender themselves to God through devotional reading of the bible and through prayer. Some players even wear inner garments with a biblical message. Others acknowledge the holy trinity through signs especially those of the Roman Catholic faith. It is interesting that a huge proportion of players across the athletic disciplines attribute their talent and success to God. To them, God is able to provide the talent, nurturing environment and opportunity to excel at the highest level.

God is able

At the critical moment of a game, one can notice the outward appeal to God for intervention. In soccer we see players forming a circle at the center of the pitch to pray before kick off. Just before the daunting task of taking post match penalty kicks to break a tie, the appeals become intense and fanatical. Players who are serious followers of Christ form cell groups where they fellowship with one another, pray together and encourage one another. A player such as Kaka of AC Milan and world and European player of the year 2007 has been quoted saying that he would like to become a minister of the gospel when he retires from soccer. Thus spirituality plays a critical role in the performance of a player.

Juju or witch craft

However, not all players are clear cut about their relationship with God. Instead, some players surrender themselves to an unknown supernatural being. In Africa and Central and South America, the supernatural being that plays a pivotal role in the life of players is what is called “juju” or magic. Magic is administered to players by a Chief Magician who is supposed to be adept at conversing with spirits and is therefore able to marshal the spiritual angels to rally behind the chosen team. Prevalence of Juju or magic, otherwise also called witch craft is particularly prevalent in Central and Southern Africa where Chief Magicians have lost their lives because they failed to help a team win. I remember one time in Kenya, where two rival teams were playing and after the match a goal keeper for the losing team claimed that every time a ball was shot in his goal, he saw more than one ball!

Power of magic

Magicians, so it is claimed, can make a goal keeper see more than one ball. Others use animals. Chicken are particularly popular with the head being buried in the field! Others have goal keepers carry some symbol of magic and plant it in a corner of the goal. All these beliefs in the supernatural are therefore meant to solidify a team’s confidence not only in their ability but that all the spiritual world is also on their side. This is parallel to the biblical verse which says if God is on your side, who will be against you!

Conclusion

Thus there is a spiritual void in players just as it is in all humanity. We all long for a supernatural anchoring. Unfortunately, many are also misled to believe that a magician can win a game for a team. However, with the advancement in sports psychology, it is hoped that nations that are still steeped into use of magic to mentally prepare players can use tested methods of psychological team preparation. Nevertheless, spirituality will continue to play a part as peace of mind is critical in excellent sporting performance.