UK law is changing. We would like to place cookies on your computer to help us make this website better. We've always done this (it's how websites work!), but the law now says I must ask your permission first. To find out more about the cookies, see the privacy notice.

I accept cookies from this site

UK Registered Charity 1117093
Company Number 5947088

“All I know most surely about morality and obligation I owe to football”,

Albert Camus

Psalm 121

My help comes from Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. Psalm 121: 2

Sportspeople look for any help they can get because the slightest edge can make all the difference. I remember one British athlete saying that if he found that eating carrots every morning made him run faster, he would eat carrots! And he would not tell anyone else about the advantage he was gaining.

When Cyrille Domoraud – captain of Ivory Coast in the 2006 World Cup – sustained an eye injury playing Marseilles, he needed help. Being African Cyrille had been given lots of lucky charms and fetishes to protect supposedly to protect him from harm. He used to wear a ring for protection.

Cyrille’s sister, Angeline, who has a Christian, came to visit him when he was injured. Angeline told Cyrille he had a choice. He could ask God for help or he could trust in his ring. Cyrille recalls the conversation clearly, “I was lying on the sofa and she was sitting next to me, and began to talk to me about God. For years my sister had always been telling me to take off the ring, saying it was useless. She talked to me about prayer, and now I was ready and I surrendered everything to God”.

Dramatically Cyrille look off the ring and threw it away. He was acknowledging that the source of his help was God, not a fetish ring.

American swimmer Josh Davis was unlikely to encounter many witch-doctors as he sought a place in the USA Olympic swimming team, but had a similar choice to make. He received some chain letters, which said that if he sent them on to other people he would have good luck – and which sportsperson cannot use a bit of good luck now and then!

As he thought about it, Josh decided that he would burn the letters and trust in God to take him to the Olympics or not.

Weekly sports email

Leave your email address if you wish to receive Stuart's weekly sports email: