Faith and football go hand in hand but not for the Brazil FA

And it is a goal! Argentina’s Lionel Messi will most likely raise two index fingers and his face skywards in celebration, just like former Gor Mahia player Meddie Kagere. Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo will do his famous jump with his right index finger doing a spiral.

Egypt’s Mohamed Salah will bow to the ground in supplication, in the same fashion as fellow Muslim and Liverpool teammate Sadio Mane. Uruguay’s Luis Suarez will kiss his wrist besides sliding on the edge of field in a manner similar to Chile’s Alexis Sanchez.

Brazilian David Luiz will likely kneel and pray, as would Mexico’s Javier Hernandez. Argentina’s Angel di Maria will use his thumbs and index fingers to create the heart sign while England’s Jesse Lingard will dance and fold his fingers to show the “JL” initials of his name.

Such celebrations usually offer a window for football fans to have a glimpse into a player’s beliefs, religious or otherwise.

As the World Cup tournament in Russia enters its final week, more of those celebrations will be seen, and one sure thing is that there will be messages to God.

PLAYERS' FAITH

Footballers worshipping God in the field is nothing new, but with the move by the Brazil Football Confederation to ban religion-themed celebrations among its players ahead of the Russia finals, there has been focus on players who openly celebrate their faith.

Christianity Todaysays the Brazil soccer body justified the ban by saying the practice “could divert focus on competition and constrain athletes who practice other beliefs or are agnostic”.

Footballers from South America are among the most pious, with many having declared that they are born again. Some of the big names openly declaring their faith include Brazil stars Neymar Jr, Alisson Becker, Fernandinho, Thiago Silva, Douglas Costa and Willian.

Others are Uruguay’s Edinson Cavani, Colombia’s Radamel Falcao, Nigeria’s Odion Ighalo, Costa Rican goalkeeper Keylor Navas and Panama’s forward Luis Tejada.

According to an article published online on July 1 byChristianity Today, most of these players take every opportunity to preach their faith to all who care to listen.

Brazil’s first-choice goalkeeper Alisson Becker, in a question-and-answer session published by his Club AS Roma, said faith plays a role in his life.

“If you want to be a great ’keeper, you need to work very hard. That’s what I do. You need to be very focused on football and I think faith is important too. If you believe in God, you know you have to do your best on the pitch and put love into everything you do in life,” he said during the October 2017 interaction.

Cavani has been recently quoted saying: “I am an athlete for Christ. That’s why I play for him, to give him glory, to thank him for giving me the ability to play football… for giving me that divine gift that I am trying to manage more and more.”

Colombia’s striker Radamel Falcao is said to be always hounding his teammates to do Bible study with him while always reminding his 17 million Twitter followers about his beliefs.

Earlier this year, he tweeted: “Jesus is our hope. He did it all for you. If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe (...) you will be saved.”

Both Nigeria’s Ighalo and Panama’s Tedaja say they grew up in dire circumstances and that it was only because of their faith that they managed to get the true north of their lives.

In an interview with theGuardiannewspaper in June, the man who grew up in the rough parts of Panama City said: “I don’t know what would have become of me if I hadn’t become a footballer. I don’t know if I would be dead, if I would have been in a gang, or if I would have ended up doing some good. For this reason, I thank God that he grabbed me in time and took control of me.”

In Kenya, various big names have also professed their faith in the past, among them long-serving Harambee Stars captain Musa Otieno and the national team’s lanky striker Michael Olunga.

“Were it not for my salvation many years back, I can’t tell where I’d be today,” Musa Otieno told theNationin 2010.

Olunga said to theNationin a 2015 report: “Before I get to the pitch, I pray. And I also thank God when I get home.”

BELIEFS

Another player who takes his career as a chance to minister is former Harambee Stars midfielder Peter “Pinchez” Opiyo, who played five matches in the national team’s unsuccessful campaign to play at the 2010 World Cup.

Opiyo, who is currently out of contract after his stint at Qatari club Al Markhiya ended in June 2017, toldLifestylethat being pious helps in many ways.

“I believe it is only Christ who can push me through whatever I’m doing. That’s why I must place myself in his hands in everything I do; not just football. In whatever I do, I believe Christ is everything and that is why I give him the first priority,” he said.

“There are many beliefs among people. There are those who believe in entering the field with the right leg; others believe that they should do the sign of the cross,” added Opiyo.

Like in the case of Lionel Messi, the fingers he raises into the sky are not usually a normal prayer but a dedication to his grandmother.

A video his club Barcelona shared on Twitter in May explains that the subject of Messi’s two-finger salute and a glance at the skies, which is often accompanied by a sign of the cross, is his late grandmother Celia — whom he believes is usually watching him from the skies.

“Managers didn’t want to play Leo because of his height. Celia always said, ‘Put him on! He can save the game!’ Finally, Messi was able to show his skills and everyone woke up,” reads the text on the video.

But unlike Messi who usually shows his religious and sentimental side after scoring a goal, Opiyo said his communication with God happens throughout a game.

“You find yourself thanking God as the game continues; telling God, ‘So far so good, I’m thankful. Continue fighting for me.’ You find things going well. And after the game, I thank God for everything. So, it happens before and after,” he said. “A time comes when a human’s energy reaches its maximum and you can’t help but look up to God.”

Mexico and West Ham player Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez is one famous case as far as praying before kick-off is concerned. Often, he kneels by the halfway line before a match and prays.

In a 2011 interview with UK’sMirrornewspaper, he said: “I like to ask God to take care of me, because he gave me the opportunity to play.”

But what message goes to spectators in case a footballer prays so fervently and his team loses? Can’t it make some people question whether God heard him?

According to Rev Dr Simon Oriedo, a priest at the Nairobi diocese of the Anglican Church, observers should never view the prayer of a player in the losing team as a snub from God.

“If you prayed for your loved one to get healed and they still die, it doesn’t mean that God did not hear the prayers; it doesn’t mean that you didn’t have faith,” Rev Oriedo toldLifestyle.

“Remember, here are two teams going into play. And both of them have prayed, and you can see them do it. And one of them will win. Does it mean God only heard the prayer of one team and did not hear the prayer of the others? That’s the contradiction. And that’s why in the Lord’s Prayer Jesus told us to pray, ‘Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.’ It is God’s will. You can pray, but what is his will?” added the reverend.

Opiyo, who has formerly played for local clubs like Thika United and Gor Mahia, said he never counts a loss as a deaf ear from God. “The Bible tells me, ‘Thank God in whateversituation.’ Even when we’re losing or anything. About two years ago, I injured my knee and had to stay out for nine months. But during that treatment, the operation, I could thank God and could tell Him, ‘I know you have a purpose for what has happened.’ You find yourself having a certain kind of joy which you don’t know where it comes from. You find yourself giving thanks,” he said.

In Brazil, one of the people who does not support open declaration of faith is footballing legend Mário Jorge Zagallo who says the elevation of faith is a suggestion that athletic success is related to faith. In his view, this argument reduced the value of the athlete’s dedication and effort.

PRAYER

Critics have also pointed out contradictions between some footballers’ way of life and their confession of their faith.

Neymar is often offered as an example. When Brazil won gold in its home Olympics in 2016, the striker went the podium to receive his gold medal with a headband reading “100% Jesus”.

“This ostensible display of devotion caused controversy, given the star player’s out-of-wedlock son and public love life,”Christianity Todayreported in its July 1 article. But why must players express so much reverence to God in the first place? Rev Oriedo said there is a mental element to it.

“It is a psychological boost because you’re saying you’ve done your practice and you are going into a competition and you are relying on God to give you strength and success,” he said.

“The other one is real belief in God to give you success. You are saying that despite the fact that you have trained, despite the fact that you have all the tactics, more or even superior than your opponents, but still you are believing in God to give you the success,” added the cleric.

He went on: “Of course it can also be from the starting point that you are weaker than your opponent; your opponent is stronger. That parallels the contest between David and Goliath. David was starting from a disadvantaged point.”

But in his observation, there are times when prayer is just a formality and a show-off. “If you look carefully, even when they have played and won, they rarely say ‘God gave us victory’. They want to praise the coach,” said the reverend.

Prayer has been reported to unite teams and calm tensions. TheBBCreported that ahead of the 2014 World Cup, Brazil’s players were using prayers for motivation.

“In the dressing room before the match [against Colombia in July 2014], the squad repeated the Lord’s Prayer. And at the final whistle, defender David Luiz sank to his knees and prayed again,” said theBBC.

Luiz was quoted by the London-based media outlet saying: “My faith in Jesus gives me strength to keep on going out onto the field and to do my best.” And during the 1994 World Cup that they won, the chaplain of the Brazil team Alex Riberio made a number of observations that he later documented in a book.

Riberio had been wishing that players who would be named in the final squad would have mature faith and leaning towards Evangelical churches. This was a great prayer of faith if you put into consideration that the county of 160 million people (by then) is predominantly Catholic and that almost the second boy you meet is a potential Pele.

When Coach Carlos Alberto Parreira finally named his squad, Ribeiro got more than he had prayed for. He had seven players who were publicly confessing their faith. It is around these — including their wives and girlfriends — that he formed a core team that would be the backbone of the praying unit as they headed to the United States.

It would be a memorable campaign for the Brazilians because the final match between Brazil and Italy had been dubbed the battle between Jesus and Buddha.

This was because the Brazilians were laying their hopes on their goalkeeper Claudio Taffarel, a part-time pastor, while the Italians were relying on their talisman Roberto Baggio who had since abandoned the Catholic faith of his fathers and hedged his bet on Buddhism.

At the end of the day, the picture that remained etched on the minds of billions across the globe was that of Taffarel kneeling, eyes firmly shut in prayer, with hands lifted up and Baggio crestfallen after he blasted the final penalty kick towards the clouds.

“Jesus” had won for Brazil.