The Total African Nations Championships (Cameroun CHAN 2021) started in controversy following pre-match accusations of witchcraft from the hosts by Zimbabwe’s European coach Zdravko Logarusic after a dead bat was found on the pitch.

The Warriors have blamed the hosts of turning to the dark arts to influence the outcome of the tournament opener.

Zimbabwe coach Logarusic accused Cameroon of ‘witchcraft’ ahead of their African Nations Championship opener in Yaounde on Saturday which the hosts won by a solitary goal.

A photograph was shared with Goal ahead of the match which depicted the Croat coach displaying the carcass of a bat, accompanied by a sign which reads ‘witchcraft in Cameroon’ ahead of the two sides’ Chan match.

The Cameroonians are not strangers to this type of controversy, during the  2002 Africa Cup of Nations semi-final between Mali and the Lions, Cameroon coach Winfried Schafer and goalkeeping coach Thomas Nkono were arrested by riot police after allegedly doing some rituals on the pitch ahead of the fixture.

The CHAN 2021 football tournament is currently ongoing, fixtures, results and latest table standings are fully covered here.