[Billet d'humour] Can et charlatanisme, la foire aux illusions mystiques ?
At every Africa Cup of Nations, football tends to transform into a vast, open-air mystical sanctuary. The ball rolls, certainly, but it now seems obliged to make a detour to the local marabout before entering the goal. The AFCON in Morocco is no exception to this tradition. The ball has never been so spiritual.
The latest exploit: Mr. Sinayogun, a Malian charlatan, overconfident and above all, very entrepreneurial, promised the Cup for the sum of one hundred million CFA francs. A round sum, clearly calculated with more rigor than his visions. The pitch, that ungrateful rationalist, quickly shattered the spell. A goal by Iliman Ndiaye, and the prophecy was relegated to the category of failed promotions. "The Malian marabout proposed, the Senegalese marabout disposed," summarized one internet user, a modern-day philosopher.
Unfortunately, the story ended badly: arrest, fraud charges, and the competition being watched from a prison cell. It just goes to show that even in the realm of the mystical, you have to read the fine print. Not everyone can be Paul the Octopus. At least he simply chose a box, without sending an invoice or promising the trophy with a divine guarantee included.
But in Senegal, too, mystical creativity rivals game systems. Here, a wrestling enthusiast explains which offerings to leave before the match; there, a TikTok marabout predicts a string of 3-0 victories, as if he were ordering scores from a fast-food delivery app. The problem? The ball, a notorious anarchist, refuses to obey visions and prefers to listen to the cleats.
All of this would be folkloric if it didn't sometimes turn into a fair of illusions.
By conflating faith, superstition, and spiritual business, some are turning popular passion into a mystical cash cow. Yet history is stubborn: no incantation has ever replaced a well-executed dry cleaning service.
Yes, African football loves its legends. Yes, the myth of the white jersey from 1985 still captivates. But between folklore and charlatanism, there's a penalty without a goalkeeper.
And until proven otherwise, no African charlatan has yet managed to bring the World Cup to their country. Because on the pitch, only one truth remains: it's the players who write history. The rest is just showmanship… without VAR.
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