Don't touch Rocky! France fans issued with warning as Philadelphia statue curse looms

PHILADELPHIA- France supporters at the World Cup were issued an urgent warning on Saturday 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 colors.

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 Monday.

"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 colors of the opposition brings monumental bad luck and dooms the team to defeat (just ask NFL fans)."

POPULAR CULTURE

The superstition grew into 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 Friday. Their team won 3-0.

(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Miami, editing by Ed Osmond)