Time for some Wahhabi comic relief.

(Emirates 24/7) — Saudi footballers could be vulnerable to magic spells and should seek spiritual treatment before they enter the play field for a match, a prominent Saudi Islamic scholar was reported on Thursday as saying.

Sheikh Khalid Al Guraisi, a well known scholar and Raqi (healer by Koran), said a recent series of defeats by Al Nasr Club in domestic football matches proved the players could have fallen prey to “magic or envious eyes”

But a prominent sports writer in the Gulf Kingdom dismissed reports that Al Nasr has been under magic spell, saying its fans could be under that spell.

“Some Saudi football clubs could fall under a collective magic spell or envious eyes. . . such things are accepted in religion,” Guraisi said.

“I know there are people in some clubs who use magic to affect players at another club. . . some of them do this through an experienced magician and the magic work could be concealed near the goal in the play field. . . in other cases, the magician could be present during the match to affect players.”

Guraisi said he believes some clubs pay large sums of money for magic work, adding that such work largely affects the match results. He cited one case in which a Saudi player succeeded in reaching goal area of the other team by sidestepping five players but failed to score.

“He was alone in the goal area after managing to elude five players. . . when he was there, he just fell down without scoring. . . this player, I think, was under a magic spell or an envious eye and had to be treated,” he said.

HT: David