"Seven Arges Pitesti fans buried a dead cat behind a stadium stand and burned a rooster just in the middle of the field after they were sure that the arena was cursed," Pro Sport daily reported.

Arges Pitesti, with 19 points from 17 matches, lie 12th in the 16-team table. Farul Constanta are fourth with 30 points. The bottom three teams will be relegated at the end of the season.

The newspaper also said fans had tied red string to the goalposts but that their efforts had to be followed by players' gestures in order to attract good luck.

"We'll ask our players to wear their underwear inside out for the match against Farul Constanta," one fan said.

Other superstitions common in Romanian soccer include players putting basil in their boots the night before matches and the national team's bus never reverses when players are on board.

A female photographer was removed from a plane taking the national team to a match last year because it was thought a woman aboard a plane or in a bus would be unlucky.