The manager of Tanzanian side Simba SC has explained the pre-match ritual his players took part in ahead of their clash against Orlando Pirates in the CAF Confederation Cup on Sunday.

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Before the Buccaneers' match against Simba got underway at the weekend, a lot of talk around the start of the game focused on the away team’s huddle.

As the Simba players stood around the centre circle at the Orlando Stadium, smoke appeared to rise from around them in what appeared to be a ritualistic act.

Following their 4-3 loss on penalties, coach Pablo Franco Martin told iDiski Times he believes the acts performed ahead of the first whistle might have been for the purpose of mind games.

"To be honest, I heard something but I was not there. I was in the dressing room," he said.

Click through the gallery below to see pictures of Pirates' shootout win over Simba: 

"Your colleague spoke about East Africa, but I think those things happen in all [of] Africa.

"This juju, this superstition, it's not anything different than that. I also can talk about the holes in the penalty spots or in the corners, part of the field that you cannot use the day before.

"Here [in Africa] many of you are playing these mind games. This is something from where I'm coming from [Spain], it's impossible to see. I'm not going to say that I like it, but to be honest, to burn something I think it's not going to help anyone. It's just a matter of superstition.

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"Some are singing and some other teams are playing or whatever, there are [mind] games like this or superstitions like this or beliefs like this, and I think there are more important things than these things. I think there are more important things to talk about."