Kenya: Soccer sorcerers: Strong beliefs of juju by the ‘team doctors’

On December 11, 1994 destiny seemed to be staring at Kenya Breweries (now Tusker) with a smile. The Kenyan team had not only reached the finals of the African Cup Winners Cup (Mandela Cup), but had also secured a 2-2 draw away to Daring Club Motema Pembe of Zaire (now DRC). All the brewers needed in Nairobi was a goalless draw to follow in Gor Mahia’s 1987 continental glory — a rare feat for a Kenyan team. 

To capture the mood of the nation, Sunday Standard had a special edition with the headline ‘Go brewers go!’ But destiny’s smile must have been a cynical one as the Nairobi team was humiliated 3-0 in front of disbelieving fans. The following day’s The Standard, just like the thousands of disappointed Nairobians that attended the match, had on its front page the headline ‘Bewitched! Motema cast a spell over Kenya as Zaire bring their Jujuman’ by way of explaining the loss. Read more here.