A prominent Ghanaian traditional priest, Nana Kwaku Bonsam, has publicly stated he is performing rituals to neutralise England captain Harry Kane before the two nations meet in Group L of the 2026 World Cup on Tuesday. Bonsam, whose name translates as “Wednesday Demon”, told the British press he had placed a concoction of leaves and sacred ingredients beside a photograph of the Bayern Munich striker. “I am not wishing him serious injury. It will be just enough to stop him against my country,” he said. The declaration comes with both teams carrying three points from opening victories: England defeated Croatia 4-2, with Kane scoring twice, while Ghana beat Panama 1-0.

The priest has made similar claims before. During the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, he asserted he had caused the tendinitis that hampered Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo, insisting the ailment was spiritual and beyond medical cure. Ronaldo ultimately played against Ghana in the final group match and scored the winner in a 2-1 victory, though both sides were eliminated. That precedent has coloured reactions to the latest claim. On social media platforms, African football followers noted the irony: one user wrote, “If he really said this, then Harry Kane is scoring a hat-trick… This man ‘tied’ Ronaldo’s leg in 2014 only for him to score his only goal of the tournament against Ghana.”

The fixture itself carries historical weight. Ghanaian archives record a match in the colonial era when the Gold Coast side beat England 2-1. More recently, a 2011 friendly at Wembley Stadium was attended by senior officials from the University of Ghana and what is now the University of Professional Studies, Accra, who travelled as guests of a corporate sponsor. The current encounter, set for Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, is the first competitive World Cup meeting between the two nations.

Viewed from Accra, the priest’s intervention is part of a wider surge of football fervour that has temporarily eclipsed partisan political divisions, with churches even adopting the match as a prayer theme. From London, the claims have been met largely with bemusement, though they have added an unusual layer of pre-match narrative. On the pitch, the stakes are straightforward: a win for either side would secure control of the group and a significant step towards the knockout rounds.