Even More Soccer Magick

So has the World Cup soccer scene become more involved with magick in recent years, or has it always been that way and tabloid media outlets are finally catching on? That's the first question raised by the latest tale of magick-for-hire from the footballing world.

Portugal star Cristiano Ronaldo is at the centre of a sordid battle between sorcerers with one trying to ruin him on behalf of a spurned lover and another to save him, reports said Wednesday.

"A rich foreign woman who was betrayed" has paid a Spaniard nicknamed Pepe to "end Ronaldo's career," Correio da Manha daily said.

Ronaldo, who is often photographed with a beautiful young woman on his arm, is currently carrying an ankle injury, and the sorcerer Pepe is claiming credit for it.

Pepe was pictured holding a black wax doll and a photo of the Real Madrid forward with his name scrawled across it.

Ronaldo's ankle injury is not believed to be serious, but as it apparently happened after the curse was cast this magician might have some real ability. Complicating the situation further, a friend of the football star has apparently hired a second magician to keep him safe from harm.

The daily 24 Horas, which carried the same story, said another "fetisher" called Fernando Nogueira, known as the "sorcerer Fafe" was contacted on Tuesday by "someone very close" to Ronaldo "to counter the black magic of this so-called Spanish sorcerer."

Fafe, while casting doubt on the powers of his rival, told the paper he had "burnt candles next to a photo of Ronaldo to put an end to what is being done, if it is true."

So do we have an actual magical war on our hands that is getting some media coverage? I will say that I'm curious to see what the outcome will be. Any real magician should be able to state his or her intentions publicly and then watch as the intended events come to pass. Any claims made after the fact are immediately suspect without an accurate and verifiable record of the original spell, its statement of intent, and when it was cast.

Today's revelation accuses socialite Paris Hilton of hiring Pepe to cast the curse. Of course, she's one of those people that the tabloids have accused of just about everything else as well.

The witchcraft expert has revealed that he was hired by a woman who was “deceived” by the Portuguese man-o’-sex. Given his penchant for ladies of ill repute, this piece of information doesn’t exactly round things down, but Pepe also describes his client as “very famous, rich and not European”. Therefore, the Spanish press infer that the prime suspect is Paris Hilton, who has publicly admitted that Ronaldo was “too gay” for her.

Pepe says he charged €15,000 to inflict C-Ron’s recent injury via a voodoo doll, but he will charge a lot more to “finish his career”. The sorcerer says he has already cast a spell to end the winger’s playing days, and he would not break it even if “Ronaldo’s crying mother knelt before him.”

Could this get any more ridiculous? Given the nature of tabloids, I suppose that's a question I shouldn't be asking. I mean, so far nobody is claiming that Bat Boy is involved...