WEIRD WEDNESDAY: Pushing Your Luck

The Sports Minister of Swaziland didn’t find anything magically delicious about the recent behavior of teams in the country’s Somhlolo National Stadium.

It was reported that members of perhaps several football teams who play there ripped up the facility’s artificial turf field in a quest to bury magic charms, known as “muti.” Planting such charms apparently is a traditional ritual meant to help teams win games.

The turf field, which reportedly cost $600,000, was dug up over the past month, so the muti could be planted underneath, with the damage especially bad by the goals and at centerfield.

Somhlolo National Stadium
Somhlolo National Stadium

Government sports officer Sipho Magagula said the government might consider banning the team suspected of most of the damage at the facility, which is Swaziland’s only football stadium. And the Sports Minister, Hlobsile Ndlovu, has filed a formal criminal complaint over the damage, with police investigating, according to local media.

Guess some teams needed all the luck they could get.