When Harry Kane missed a last-minute rebound deep into the stands A goalless draw against GhanaAn England fan turned to his Ghanaian neighbor and quipped: “Hey, the spell is working.” The Ghana supporter retorted: “No dude, he needs shooting practice.”
The joke was about a claim made before the match by Nana Kwaku Bonsam – whose name translates as Devil of Wednesday – a Ghanaian witch doctor who told the Daily Star that he had cast black magic on Kane. He had one-of-a-kind credentials: in 2014, he claimed to have suffered a knee injury that threatened Cristiano Ronaldo’s participation in the World Cup ahead of Portugal’s clash with Ghana. “I’m working on Harry Kane,” he said. “I’ve shown what I’m capable of before so I know what I have to do to stop him.” He added with some concern: “I don’t want to hurt him seriously. That will be enough to stop him against my country.”
As happened | England drew 0-0 against Ghana
Bonsom is no ordinary witch doctor, if the rank allows the degree. Once he contested the Lok Sabha elections. He built a following during his years spent in the Bronx, New York, which has a large Ghanaian population. Hundreds of citizens welcomed him at the Kumasi airport on his return home. He drives a Cadillac, wears Dolce & Gabbana tracksuits, has 14 children, owns a cattle ranch, temples and a chain of schools and lives in New York, Amsterdam and Berlin. The New York Times described him a decade ago as “a traditionalist priest loved and hated for his spiritual power.”
Kane fires the ball over the bar during the World Cup Group L soccer match between England and Ghana. (AP Photo/Martin Meisner)
Back in Ghana, Juju is spoken in graver tones. “Some classes take it seriously. Even highly educated people,” says Joseph, a Ghanaian fan in the stands. “Whenever we do poorly, they believe that somebody did something. When we do well again, some people will say that we did something and that’s why we’re winning. I don’t believe any of that. Most of us don’t.”
This belief has run so deep that the CAF was once forced to address it directly. “We are no more willing to see witch doctors on the pitch than cannibals in the concession stands,” read a 2008 CAF statement, issued after several incidents involving charms, powders and spiritual advisers at African tournaments. Some countries, including Zambia, have outlawed the practice.
Former Zambian player Nchimunya Mweetwa once told the BBC about his first encounter with Juju. “This was the first time I came across the use of juju. There was a witch doctor in the school team, who made us believe that they would win our matches. After training, he would ask them to apply juju oil”.
Story continues below this ad
In the 2025 AFCON final between Morocco and Senegal, the problem took a different form. Moroccan ball boys and players repeatedly tried to remove goalkeeper Edward Mendy’s towels throughout the match – the wet conditions necessitated his grip. A Moroccan player was later suspended and fined by CAF for his role in the episode. Some observers framed it as gamesmanship. Others saw something different. “In Europe, people don’t understand that there is something behind it,” former Morocco coach Herve Renard said afterwards. “Was the towel a charm? In Africa, these beliefs exist and everyone is free to believe what they want.”
At the 2022 World Cup, French outlet RFI reported that several Cameroon players were visiting a spiritual practitioner named Nji Ousseni. “Everyone wants to be selected or to be the holder. Thus for important tournaments like the World Cup or the African Cup of Nations, players often call on my services to invoke the gods to trouble the opponent,” Ousseni told RFI. As the president of the federation, Samuel Eto’o rejected the report and demanded an apology.
The banter in the stands continued into the second half. England fan jabs at his Ghanaian neighbour: “Can you teach us something? We want to cast a spell on our opponents!” Joseph played along: “500 pounds for one session! The deal? It’s not easy bro!” Another England supporter: “With that money, we can come and study in Ghana.” When Nico O’Reilly hit the post, the Englishman asked: “You didn’t even leave Nico?”
After the game, Declan Rice smiled and said: “Credit to Ghana, they defended well. We tried everything. Shots, headers, set-pieces… nothing worked. I don’t know… maybe black magic was at work!”