Don’t touch Rocky Balboa! France fans issued with warning as Philadelphia statue curse looms
PHILADELPHIA – France supporters at the World Cup were issued an urgent warning on June 20 to keep their hands off Philadelphia’s iconic Rocky Balboa statue after a string of sporting misfortunes befell teams whose fans dared to dress it in their colours. The official France supporters’ group has t
By Sph Media Limited
PHILADELPHIA – France supporters at the World Cup were issued an urgent warning on June 20 to keep their hands off Philadelphia’s iconic Rocky Balboa statue after a string of sporting misfortunes befell teams whose fans dared to dress it in their colours.
The official France supporters’ group has told travelling fans to steer clear of draping Sylvester Stallone’s famous fictional boxer in Les Bleus gear, citing Philadelphia sports folklore that has claimed several victims.
Ecuador discovered this the hard way when supporters draped the team’s yellow shirt and flag on Rocky’s shoulders before their group opener against Ivory Coast, only to see their team lose.
“Don’t touch Rocky! To all French people in Philadelphia we urge you to exercise the utmost caution,” the supporters’ group Irresistibles Francais said in a statement ahead of their next group match against Iraq on June 22.
“Under no circumstances should you put a Les Bleus shirt or scarf on the Rocky statue! “Here, the local superstition is very clear: dressing Rocky in the colours of the opposition brings monumental bad luck and dooms the team to defeat (just ask NFL fans).”
The superstition grew into National Football League (NFL) popular culture as visiting fans who dressed Rocky in their team colours watched their hopes crumble.
The “Rocky curse” reached its peak in 2018 when New England Patriots fans placed a Tom Brady jersey on the statue and their team lost 41-33 to the Philadelphia Eagles in the Super Bowl.
One desperate Ecuadorean fan later attempted to appease the statue’s wrath by leaving an offering of Encebollado – a South American dish – at the base of it.
“Apparently no one wants to put their shirt on Rocky now because that’s a jinx,” Kevin Bethel, the Police Commissioner for the City of Philadelphia, told Reuters.
“So we don’t have to worry about people climbing on and throwing their jersey on there unless they want to lose.”
Brazil fans were also warned not to drape gear on the 10-foot bronze statue ahead of their World Cup match against Haiti on June 20. Their team won 3-0.
France may be the overwhelming favourites against Iraq but they will be bracing themselves for a big battle, France defender William Saliba said.
The French, 2022 World Cup finalists and world champions four years earlier, are on three points following a 3-1 victory over Senegal. Iraq lost their opener 4-1 to group leaders Norway after a strong start to the game.
“They (Iraq) have a good team and it will not be easy even if people think it might be,” Saliba told a press conference on June 20. “They qualified, they beat Bolivia to earn their spot, they drew with Spain, and we expect a great battle.”
Iraq, who drew 1-1 with Spain in a friendly days before the tournament started, have never won a World Cup match, losing all three of their group games at their only previous appearance in 1986.
They needed to play 21 qualification matches in order to earn their place in this tournament, grabbing the last available World Cup spot by beating Bolivia 2-1 in their intercontinental play-off in late March.
“I think it will be a very intense match,” fellow France defender Lucas Digne said. “They are playing to stay in the competition and so it will be a very physical match.”
“We know the system they will use with their 4-4-2 and their forwards. It will be a very direct match and we need to be ready for that.” REUTERS