Serie A team blames witches on 0-points-in-12-matches start

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Benevento President Oreste Vigorito insists “we’ll stay in Serie A” and blames witches for their poor form so far.

The Stregoni have lost all 12 of their games so far this season, scoring five goals and conceding 31.

Though they lost in Turin on Sunday, the newly-promoted side took the lead and only lost 2-1 to Serie A’s freest scoring side.

“There’s so much praise from everywhere, but always without points,” Vigorito lamented, speaking to Gazzetta dello Sport.

“The blame lies with the malignant influences which have always been associated with this city… witches. Yes, it’s true. I’m superstitious.

“Seeing Juventus closing down the game and defending is like a moral victory, I hope we can get a real one against Sassuolo.

“One thing is certain though, we’ll stay in Serie A because we won’t give up.”

Vigorito’s reference to witches fits with Benevento’s reputation as ‘The City of Witches’, due to the legend that witchcraft was practiced there in ancient times.

Citizens used to leave brooms or salt on their doorsteps, as the witches could only come out at night and they’d be forced to count the fibres of the brooms or the grains of salt before entering, by which time the sun would rise.

For this reason, Benevento's badge contains the image of a witch on a broomstick.

Originally the city was named Maleventum, meaning ‘site of bad events’ but it was changed to Beneventum when captured by the Romans in 268 BC.

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