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Fans
of the club invited Taoist priests on to the pitch to pray for a good result in
Sunday's match with Shandong Luneng, which Henan went on to win 2-1
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The Chinese FA have told
Super League side Henan Jianye to seek salvation from goals rather than the
gods after Taoist priests performed an on-pitch ritual -- and the team duly won
at home for the first time in over three months.
AFP
report continues:
The
CFA are investigating after fans of the club invited 15 Taoist priests on to
the pitch to pray for a good result in Sunday's match with Shandong Luneng,
which Henan went on to win 2-1.
The
Paper, a state-run newspaper based in Shanghai, carried a picture of the ritual
showing a desk on the pitch covered with a yellow cloth on the eve of the game.
There
is incense and three flags flutter behind the table bearing mantras including
"God's will is that Jianye must win."
The
CFA said that it had asked Henan, whose fears of relegation eased with the
victory at their Zhengzhou Hanghai Stadium home, for an explanation.
"The
football pitch is not a religious place and hosting such activities on a public
sports field is neither appropriate nor conforming with the image of
professional football," the CFA said in a statement.
"Instead
of asking for help from gods outside the pitch, Henan should seek victory
through self-endeavour and battling on it."
Henan,
for whom former Bolton Wanderers and West Ham United striker Ricardo Vaz Te
scored the opener, said on Tuesday they were "touched by the fans' desire
and anxiety for the team to pull it together and fight to stay in the
league".
But
the club added in the statement: "Victory can't be gained through
prayers."
China
has an ambiguous relationship with religion.
The
officially atheist Communist party stomachs it but keeps tight control for fear
of a challenge to its grip on power.
It
is not the first time this season a Chinese club has gone to bizarre lengths to
get back to winning ways at home.
Guangzhou
R&F repainted their blue-coloured stadium gold in July, saying it was
better feng shui -- and they have not lost there since.
The philosophy of feng shui -- literally meaning "wind and water" -- is influential in many parts of Asia, where people carefully position items in offices and homes to maximize good fortune and wealth.
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