Cameroon owes its World Cup success to physical prowess, but team doctor Pierre Tsala Mbala says witch doctors and sorcerers may give the players a psychological edge.
Witchcraft plays a major role in African soccer, even though officials have tried in recent years to discourage ties between players and purveyors of "traditional medicine."Tsala Mbala said witch doctors are prohibited from physically treating members of the Cameroon team, which shocked defending champion Argentina 1-0 in Friday's opening match.
But the professor of human physiology said there is nothing wrong with players seeking advice, predictions or good-luck charms from witch doctors.
"You cannot explain victories by magic," said Tsala Mbala, a specialist in sports medicine who studied in Senegal and France and now runs a medical school in Yaounde, Cameroon. "But the magic is a little something extra for the players psychologically.
"I'm sure some players have amulets in their luggage and that is no problem, it is not dangerous," he said in an interview. "It is good for us if that makes the player feel better, feel more comfortable psychologically."
Witch doctors are prevented from rubbing magic potions on injured limbs or giving them special elixirs to drink because of the possibility of banned drugs being involved.
Almost every small village in parts of Africa has its own "marabout," or sorcerer. Residents count on them to cure disease, predict the future and provide good fortune - or bad luck for enemies.
The marabout often provides a patient with a "gri-gri," or good-luck charm, that is worn as a necklace or kept in a pocket. These amulets usually hold special oils, chopped plant roots and herbs or even pieces of cloth.
The power of witchcraft extends to sports, with players and fans believing such tactics can influence results. Some African players insist on certain uniform colors and refuse to enter locker rooms on the advice of witch doctors. Fans release rats and chickens onto the field to try to paralyze opposing teams.
Several Zimbabwean players were banned for life from soccer last November after publicly urinating on a field before a match. Soccer officials advised the team "to go to a better witch doctor rather than indulge in such disgusting acts."
Tennis player Yannick Noah said a witch doctor in Cameroon healed his chronic knee pain last year by beating them with a panther's tail.