Ghanaian spiritual figure Nana Kwaku Bonsam says he has now removed the curse he claimed to have placed on England captain Harry Kane.
Bonsam, a fetish priest and spiritualist from Ghana, had said before the World Cup Group L meeting between England and Ghana that he had put a hex on Kane in an effort to stop him scoring.
England went into the match after opening their campaign with a 4-2 victory over Croatia, in which Kane scored twice. But against Ghana, they were frustrated in a goalless draw at Boston Stadium in Foxborough, with Kane failing to convert a late chance that would have sealed victory.
After Kane missed that opportunity, some fans wondered whether Bonsam’s supposed intervention had played a part.
Kane later reflected on the miss and admitted his frustration.
“I was waiting for an opportunity like that to fall my way. It did and I just couldn’t quite get over the ball.
“But I’ve been a striker long enough to know they don’t always go in.”
Now that the Ghana fixture is over, Bonsam says Kane is free to start scoring again.
“Now I am going to release Harry Kane so that, his next match, he can score.”
Bonsam also suggested there is no animosity between the two.
“Harry, I will come and visit you. Don’t be offended. We are friends.”
Kane is not the first high-profile player Bonsam has claimed to target. The spiritualist, whose name translates as “devil,” has also previously said he put curses on Cristiano Ronaldo to stop him from scoring.
England’s draw with Ghana left them top of Group L on four points from two games, with one group match remaining.
Whether that was simply coincidence after Bonsam’s claimed curse was lifted is open to debate, but England will hope Kane’s goalscoring form can carry them through the rest of the tournament.
The 2026 World Cup is being staged across the United States, Mexico and Canada, with Group L also featuring Croatia and Panama.
As for who will go on to lift the World Cup, there is still a long way to go.