Mexicans turn to voodoo to help team beat the US

[January 28, 2009]  MEXICO CITY (AP) -- A Mexican sports daily is pinning its hopes of beating the United States in a World Cup qualifying match on voodoo -- with help from a U.S-based electronics chain. An advertisement in the sports daily Record on Tuesday invited fans to clip coupons and redeem them at their local Radio Shack store for a voodoo-doll likeness of a U.S. player. The hope was that a little black magic might help Mexico break a decade of futility on the road versus its northern neighbor.

"Help end the losing streak so Mexico advances," the ad read.

An illustration showed a pair of scissors slicing off the leg of a doll in a U.S. jersey that was bruised, crying out in pain, leaking stuffing, and stuck with pushpins.

"We imagine a group of young people gathered around the TV supporting Mexico and applying punishments to our rivals so that the team can qualify," Record said in a statement.

Daniel Paz, marketing manager for the newspaper, told The Associated Press the promotion was a lighthearted attempt to make next month's rivalry game more enjoyable for fans.

"It's a toy," Paz said. "There's no intention of being anything serious."

The press office of Radio Shack in Fort Worth, Texas, did not immediately return phone calls and e-mails seeking comment, but the company's Mexico office confirmed its participation.

Mexico plays the United States on Feb. 11 in Columbus, Ohio, in the first match of the final round of CONCACAF qualifying for the 2010 World Cup. The "Tri" has not won in the U.S. for 10 years.

Record said it has created 10,000 dolls and plans to expand the promotion to include effigies representing the other CONCACAF finalists: Costa Rica, Honduras, El Salvador and Trinidad and Tobago.

[Associated Press]

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.