Ghanaian spiritualist claims credit for Kane's miss then vows to 'free' England captain

Nana Kwaku Bonsam, the Ghanaian spiritualist who publicly vowed to stop Harry Kane from scoring before England’s 0-0 World Cup draw with Ghana in Boston, has declared he will now “release” the England captain — allowing him to find the net against Panama.

Bonsam, whose name translates to ‘Devil of Wednesday’, had stated ahead of the Group C fixture that he was “working on” Kane, promising the spell would be “just enough to stop him against my country” without causing serious injury. After the match ended goalless — with Kane squandering the game’s clearest chance, blasting over from seven yards in the closing stages — Bonsam wasted little time in claiming responsibility.

“I am the most powerful spiritualist in the whole world,” he said. “Now, I am going to release Harry Kane so that, his next match, he can score. Harry, I will come and visit you. Don’t be offended. We are friends.”

Kane managed just 19 touches against Ghana but acknowledged the miss himself with characteristic directness. “I was waiting for an opportunity like that to fall my way and it was a game as a striker where you are just waiting for the ball to bounce,” he said. “It did and I just couldn’t quite get over the ball. Yeah, I’d back myself to score that more often than not, but it is what it is and I’ve been a striker long enough to know they don’t always go in, so I have to accept it.”

This is not the first time Bonsam has targeted a major international star. Back in 2014, the 52-year-old claimed he was responsible for a knee injury that threatened Cristiano Ronaldo’s participation at the World Cup in Brazil. Ronaldo recovered to play in all three of Portugal’s group games, scoring the winner against Ghana in Brasilia.

Ronaldo, now 41, showed no lingering effects of any alleged supernatural interference on Tuesday, netting twice as Portugal thrashed Uzbekistan 5-0 in Houston, Texas — his sixth World Cup finals appearance.