Soccer News of Saturday, 2 January 2010

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Black Stars to play at World's Creepiest stadium?

SOMHLOLO, SWAZILAND: THE WORLD’S MOST MAGIC CHARM-INFESTED NATIONAL STADIUM …or the creepiest football stadium to play in.

Swaziland’s 50,000-capacity Somhlolo National Stadium in its capital Mbabane, where the Black stars will play Malawi on Tuesday, is probably the world’ most unnerving stadium for foreign teams to play in.

Officials are furious that players have wrecked the artificial turf there by putting magic charms, locally known as “muti” underneath it. They were put there obviously to help win games.

Most of them were found near the goal posts and centre circle.

Holes were cut and burned in the turf, so that the “muti” could be placed underneath.

The rituals were often carried out at night to evade the authorities.