VOODOO, WITCHES, ZOMBIES, PYTHONS – WARRIORS TRAVEL TO BENIN

It has taken us 45 years of Independence for the Warriors to finally play their first match against The Cheetahs of Benin.

The Fearless vs The Fastest!

Interestingly, despite never playing against each other, we share a lot in common – we both don’t have a stadium good enough to host AFCON or World Cup qualifiers.

Our first appearance at the AFCON finals was in 2004 in Egypt and we were both knocked out in the group stages.

We both were coached by the late Reinhard Fabisch and, ahead of our first clash on the pitch, we both are under the guidance of German coaches – Michael Nees and Gerhat Roht.

We both returned to Egypt for the 2019 AFCON finals where Benin made history as the only country in the history of the tournament to reach the quarter-finals without winning a game.

They drew all their three group games and qualified for the second round as one of the best third-placed sides.

They then drew 1-1 with Morocco before thrashing the Atlas Lions in a penalty shootout to reach the quarter-finals, where they lost to Senegal.

That was their last appearance at the AFCON finals although they will return this December in Morocco.

If you are one of those who believe that football is a game which is played with a helping hand from sangomas and some dark arts, Benin will definitely be one of your favourite teams.

After all, the official religion in the West African country is VOODOO.

It is the birthplace of voodoo in the world.

They even have a Voodoo Day as a public holiday and there is a national Voodoo Museum.

So, you have a mixture of every weird thing there – zombies, the sacrifices of chickens, goats, puppies and kittens, all in the name of ensuring that their gods hear them, people slipping into trances, eyes rolled back into their heads, you name it.

It’s all part of the package of belief and it includes speaking languages no one has ever heard before, or ever hear again, with their bodies possessed by some supernatural spirits.

Magic is part of the Beninese life and you will be forgiven for thinking that everyone you would have met is probably a magician.

In Ouidah, which is considered the religious capital of voodoo, you can visit the temple of the pythons.

But, they also play football and, in recent games, they have been impressive, including holding the Super Eagles of Nigeria.

But, we also did the same, didn’t we, on the neutral fields of Rwanda?

Just like us, Benin have never qualified for the World Cup.

Even their voodoo priests have probably found out that this is a hurdle that is too high for their mythical powers.

Steve Mouine, the 30-year-old forward who plays for Bundesliga side FC Augsburg, is the mainstay of their attack.

He has 18 goals in his 55 caps and plays for Knowledge Musona’s former team.

Andreas Hountondji, who is part of their attack, plays for Standard Liege in the Belgian Pro League.

It’s a league where Musons also plied his trade.

They would have been a stronger side if Barca defender Jules Kounde had chosen to play for his fatherland.

Instead, he chose to play for France, where he was born. *_-H-Metro_*