Sport and superstition go hand in hand. One look at the Wimbledon reels of yesteryear, and a bearded Bjorn Borg, will prove that. The Swedish ace never sported a clean look come the second Sunday at the All-England Club.
Germany coach Joachim Loew has gone a step further and even as he is team are taking the opposition to the cleaners, the master tactician has been saving on his own laundry bills thanks to the superstitious beliefs in the camp.
Loew could be seen on the touchline looking suave in a V-necked ‘lucky’ blue sweater during Germany’s 4-1 demolition of England in the Round of 16 and the 4-0 masterclass against Argentina in the quarterfinals. The Germany coach said that his team and coaching staff have been pleading him not to get the garment dry-cleaned, and are insisting on him donning it in their semifinal against European champions Spain at Durban on Wednesday.
“The thing with the sweater is that I am not driven by superstition,” an amused Loew said. “The other coaching staff said I should be wearing the sweater now because every time I wear it we score four goals.
“I am not even allowed to wash it now and I think I will wear it again (against Spain),” he said.
Bastian Schweinsteiger’s masterful midfield performance against Argentina was at the heart of Germany’s thumping win. But, even the Bayern Munich star is not short on faith in the blue sweater.
“I do not know how many sweaters he has that are blue. But I hope he has the one or two left in his suitcase,” he said.