Spirit goals

Some diehard fanatics of English football club (FC) Manchester United still believe in the winning prowess of the team. One even took the challenge of not getting a haircut until the Red Devils win five consecutive games in the Premier League, the top pro football competition in England.

Frank Ilett of Spain sported an Afro during a recent interview on CNN Sports, an indication of Man United’s lackluster performance on the field.

“I thought it would just be a bit of fun for a few months and, obviously, it’s gone on for a lot longer than expected,” Ilett, who began the challenge in October, told CNN Sports.

“I just wanted to make fellow Man United fans laugh in a difficult time. I didn’t expect it to be so difficult,” added Ilett, who hasn’t had a haircut in over a year.

Meanwhile, a football club (FC) in China had a different way of helping the team win every game in the League 2 North competition.

Before a Saturday home match of the Changchun Xidu FC against the visiting Shanxi Chongde Ronghai in July, the former reportedly put paper talismans in their opponents’ dressing room, South China Morning Post (SCMP) reports.

Written on the yellow paper talismans, which is customarily used to attract luck or misfortune, was, “By imperial decree, Shanxi Chongde Ronghai will fail.”

Changchun went on to win over Shanxi, 2-0. The losing team later complained to the Chinese Football Association about the paper talismans in their locker room.

Other teams that played against the Changchun also found paper talisman in their dressing room before their match against the FC, according to local media reports.

The association then fined Changchun FC 30,000 yuan for channeling evil spirits to help them beat their rivals, according to SCMP.