A different kind of magic spell

A Ghanian witch doctor has claimed responsibility for Cristiano Ronaldo's injury saying he cast a curse so that the player misses the Group D match against Ghana on June 26! You can take the witch doctor's abracadabra as just a load of blah-blah, but football players, fans and coaches are willing to believe anything and do anything to win the game. One British soccer coach went to the extent of urinating in the four corners of the ground to 'break a spell cast by the rival team'.In 2010, as South Africa hosted the tournament, the world was riveted by the prediction of Paul, the psychic octopus, in Germany. And when Spain won, as predicted, a German fan wanted to cook and eat Paul while Spain said it will provide state protection to the octopus! Football is war and everything is fair, it seems. While millions discusses the fate of 32 teams and a few players; fans, well wishers and coaches are pulling out all stops to make the key difference to win. Witch doctors, voodoo spells and curses are part of the line up beside practice and skill that footballing nations are banking on.
The cursed stadium
Brazil has won the most number of WC trophies, they are unbeatable on home ground, but this year, they are worried. In 1950, the Maracanã stadium in Rio de Janeiro hosted Brazil and Uruguay finals. Brazil needed a draw to become World Champions. They scored first, but then Uruguay scored in quick succession to win the title 1-2. Thus, the 'Maracanaço curse' was born and it is giving Brazilian fans sleepless nights even after 64 years. The venue has been revamped and last year, Brazil won the Confederations Cup at the same venue, so fans hope this would break the hex.
The Ballon d'Or Curse:
Cristiano Ronaldo is the player of the year or The Ballon d'Or. According to belief, whoever wins the Player of the Year fails on the grand stage of World Cup. Since its inception in 1956, 14 players named Player of the Year have failed to work their
magic on the big stage. To compound it, a Ghanian witch doctor
has claimed responsibility for it, saying he cursed the player so that he misses the Group D match against Ghana!
Curse of Cameron:
The English love their football, but consider their Prime Minister, David Cameron, unlucky! Well, the UK PM's words of encouragement to British sporting stars have always ended in doom. Always. Everytime the PM wishes athletes good luck for a tournament, they end up on the losing side! The list of stars he jinxed include: Andy Murray, Lewis Hamilton, divers Tom Daley and Pete Waterfield, tennis ace Laura Robson and more. The British media calls it the 'Curse of Cameron'. So notorious is the Curse of Cameron that the media and public urged the PM to give the London Olympics a miss, lest they lose more medals! In fact, many English fans were upset when their PM recently visited the national football team camp. The players and coach Roy Hodgson didn't look too amused either.
Curse of the witch doctor
The Australian football team and fans have a 'reverse curse' to worry about. According to footballer Johnny Warren, they enlisted the services of an African witch doctor, in the 70s, ahead of a World Cup qualifier against Zimbabwe. The team won! But problems began when the team didn't pay the promised $1800. The angry witch doctor then placed a reverse curse! This belief among fans only got stronger now when player Robbie Kruse suffered an injury during training. And more injuries have cropped up. Guess it would take a miracle, or a witch doctor, to set it right.
The 'sweetest curse' ever:
So Germans can do well without the chocolaty spread. A popular brand of chocolate spread has been considered jinxed for Germany's soccer stars. Players featuring in the commercial of this brand vanish from the scene and have failed to do wonders at the World Cup, despite coming so close every time. The curse had gained such wide belief that the nation's biggest tabloid was worried, "Let's hope that this doesn't prove to be the new generation's
undoing!" The brand has now ended its association with the German team. Good times ahead?