Ghanaian spiritual priest Nana Kwaku Bonsam has claimed that he placed a curse on England captain Harry Kane to prevent the Three Lions striker from shining against Ghana at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Ahead of the Group L match played on June 23 in Boston, Bonsam declared: “I am dealing with Harry Kane. I have already proven what I am capable of, so I know what I need to do to stop him.” He added that he did not wish Kane any serious injury, only enough disruption to give his country an advantage.
The match ended in a 0-0 draw, and Kane’s unusually quiet performance, highlighted by a missed close-range opportunity, was enough for social media users to connect the dots and turn the game into a piece of football folklore. Across African social media platforms in particular, many joked about the supposed “success” of the traditional priest’s alleged curse
After the match, Bonsam reportedly doubled down in a Facebook video, claiming he had changed his mind and would now “release” Kane so that he could score in his next game, while also describing himself as “the most powerful spiritualist in the entire world.”
Although viral social media claims linked the draw to the alleged curse, no credible evidence connects Bonsam’s rituals to sporting results. The priest previously gained international attention in 2014 when he claimed responsibility for Cristiano Ronaldo’s knee problems before a Ghana–Portugal encounter.