Football and sangomas

JOHANNESBURG -Fifa has cracked down heavily on sangomas performing their rites on the artificial turf at the Somhlolo Stadium in Swaziland.JOHANNESBURG -Fifa has cracked down heavily on sangomas performing their rites on the artificial turf at the Somhlolo Stadium in Swaziland.

The world governing body has issued a warning that international games could be banned at the national stadium as the damage caused by the Inyangas could pose a danger to players.
Fifa was reacting to a report carried on KickOff.com on May 15 when it was disclosed that a sangoma from either Black Mambas or Mbabane Swallows had ripped open a section of the expensive pitch that Fifa had provided under their ‘Win in Africa’ programme, dug a hole, burnt a sacrificial chicken and then buried it in the middle of the pitch.
Confirming Fifa’s response to the incident, acting National Football Association (NFAS) CEO Zwelonke ‘Sport’ Dlamini said, ‘It is true that we received a call from Fifa and we referred them to the CEO Frederick Mngomezulu, who is away in the Bahamas attending a Fifa congress with CAF Development officer Ashford Mamelodi.
‘This is the second time an incident of this nature has taken place at the stadium and Fifa has responded quickly after seeing the reports,’ he said.
Dlamini said Mngomezulu would make an official comment upon his return, adding that it was likely that Fifa would ban international games once they discovered that the turf is now posing danger to players.
On Sunday, an MTN League game between Manzini Wanderers and Mbabane Highlanders was delayed for over five minutes as match officials tried to patch a hole that was dug at the centre. The patches were also seen at the corners of the stadium. A black T-shirt was used to fill up the hole. – Kick-Off.com