Art & Culture

The Magical Game: The Strange History of Football Curses and ‘Pitchcraft’

BYKhaoula Ghanem

June 26, 2026

The 2026 FIFA World Cup has already delivered its fair share of unforgettable moments, but perhaps the most bizarre headline to emerge so far came after England’s goalless draw with Ghana on June 23, when Ghanaian “witch doctor” Nana Kwaku Bonsam claimed he had placed a curse on Harry Kane to stop the England captain from scoring. With his face covered in white powder and his wrists wrapped in red, yellow, and green beads, Bonsam looked impossible to miss in the stands. Holding a plastic bottle in one hand, he blew a burst of white powder into the air in a clip that has quickly gone viral.

The timing, admittedly, was almost too perfect. Kane had failed to find the net, England had been held to a frustrating 0-0 draw, and the striker had squandered a golden chance late in the game. Shortly after, Bonsam, whose name translates to “Devil of Wednesday,” announced he had “lifted” the spell, insisting Kane was never his enemy after all, and he is actually considering naming his baby boy Harry Kane.

If you’ve only encountered these stories through the occasional viral headline, the whole thing probably sounds ridiculous. But across African football, stories like these have been circulating for decades. Every major tournament seems to produce at least one.

Researchers have been studying this relationship between football and spiritual belief for years. In their analysis of Cameroonian football culture, anthropologists Kiyoshi Umeya and Hassan M. Yosimbom argue that football has become one of the most visible spaces where cultural beliefs about the seen and unseen continue to play out. They distinguish between what they call “magical football,” moments of seemingly supernatural brilliance on the pitch, and “football magic,” the belief that spiritual forces can influence the outcome of a match. The authors argue that the sport has become one of the most public arenas through which broader belief systems surrounding luck, spirituality, protection, and misfortune continue to be expressed.

Football, of course, did not create these beliefs. Across parts of Africa, traditions involving spiritual healers, charms, and protective rituals have existed for centuries, taking different forms depending on the country, community, and religion. Across the Arab world, belief in sihr (black magic) and the evil eye forms part of Islamic theology, although practicing black magic is considered a major sin. Meanwhile, in South America, stories of brujería (witchcraft), cursed clubs, blessed stadiums, and protective rituals have long occupied their own place in football folklore. As the world’s most popular sport spread across continents, it inevitably absorbed the beliefs, fears, and superstitions that already existed beyond the stadium walls.

Harry Kane’s alleged curse is simply the latest example. Long before his name entered the conversation, football had already accumulated decades’ worth of stories involving witch doctors, buried charms, dead bats, and accusations that entire matches had been decided by forces no referee could ever see. Here are some of the strangest.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s 2014 World Cup “Curse”

Nana Kwaku Bonsam had already entered football folklore before the Kane story. Ahead of the 2014 World Cup, he claimed to be responsible for Cristiano Ronaldo’s knee problems, saying he had used spiritual means to affect the Portuguese forward. Ronaldo had indeed been struggling with injury concerns before the tournament, but there was never any evidence connecting those issues to anything beyond the physical demands of elite football.

The Paul Pogba and Kylian Mbappé Witchcraft Allegation

In 2022, Pogba became involved in a serious extortion case connected to people close to him, including his brother Mathias. One of the claims that emerged during the scandal was that Pogba had allegedly asked a witch doctor to cast a spell on Kylian Mbappé. Pogba denied the allegation, and Mbappé publicly backed him.

Birmingham City’s Gypsy Curse

When Birmingham City built St Andrew’s in 1906, local legend claimed the stadium had been constructed on land used by Romani families, who placed a curse on the club after being displaced. Managers took it seriously enough to attempt lifting it. Late English football player Ron Saunders installed crucifixes around the stadium, while former footballer Barry Fry famously urinated in all four corners of the pitch after a clairvoyant suggested it would break the curse. Yes, really.

Béla Guttmann’s “Curse”

Probably the most famous football curse in the world. After leading Benfica to back-to-back European Cups in 1961 and 1962, manager Béla Guttmann left the club after a pay dispute. Legend has it he declared: “Not in a hundred years from now will Benfica ever be European champion.”

Benfica have since lost eight European finals, turning the supposed curse into one of football’s enduring myths. Even club legend Eusébio reportedly visited Guttmann’s grave before the 1990 European Cup final in an attempt to “lift” the curse. Whether Guttmann ever actually uttered those exact words is debated by historians, but the legend has taken on a life of its own.

Thomas N’Kono and Cameroon at AFCON 2002

At the 2002 Africa Cup of Nations, Cameroon goalkeeping coach Thomas N’Kono was arrested before the semi-final against Mali after officials accused him of placing a charm on the pitch. Cameroon denied wrongdoing, but the incident became one of the most infamous examples of witchcraft accusations in African football.

Nigeria Removing a “Charm” Against Senegal at AFCON 2000

During the 2000 Africa Cup of Nations, Nigeria’s quarter-final against Senegal produced another famous charm-related incident. With Senegal leading late in the match, a Nigerian official reportedly ran onto the pitch and removed what was described as a charm from behind the Senegal goal. Nigeria then scored twice and won the game.

Australia’s “Mozambique Curse”

Ahead of a World Cup qualifier in 1969, Australia reportedly consulted a traditional healer in Mozambique to curse Rhodesia. According to the legend, the team refused to pay him afterward, prompting the healer to curse Australia instead. The Socceroos failed to qualify for another World Cup for 32 years. In 2004, Australian TV presenter John Safran traveled to Mozambique to stage an elaborate “curse-lifting” ceremony before Australia finally qualified for Germany 2006.

Rwanda’s Attempt to Ban Witchcraft in Football

In 2016, Rwanda’s football federation reportedly introduced punishments for players, coaches, and clubs accused of using witchcraft after a league match between Mukura Victory Sports and Rayon Sports sparked controversy. Footage from the match showed players reacting to what they believed was a charm near the goal, and the incident became serious enough for the federation to respond with disciplinary measures.

Zimbabwe Accusing Cameroon After a Dead Bat Was Found on the Pitch

In 2021, Zimbabwe coach Zdravko Logarusic accused Cameroon of witchcraft after a dead bat was reportedly found on the pitch before a CHAN match. Cameroon went on to win 1-0, and the image of the bat quickly became more memorable than the scoreline itself.

Towelgate

Not every black magic-adjacent football story involves an explicit curse. Sometimes an ordinary object becomes suspicious because of the context around it. That is what happened during the 2025 AFCON final between Morocco and Senegal, when Senegal goalkeeper Édouard Mendy’s towel became the focus of repeated attention. Mendy was reportedly using the towel to dry his gloves in wet conditions, which is normal for a goalkeeper. But Moroccan players, staff, and ball boys were seen trying to remove or interfere with it, while Senegal’s substitute goalkeeper Yehvann Diouf tried to protect it. Online, some fans speculated that Morocco believed it contained juju or a charm. Others argued it was just gamesmanship, an attempt to disrupt Mendy’s routine before a crucial moment.

Racing Club and the Legend of the Seven Black Cats

Black magic in football is not limited to African contexts. In Argentina, Racing Club’s “seven black cats” legend is one of the strangest football curse stories. According to the tale, rival fans buried seven dead black cats under the club’s stadium in the 1960s to curse the team. Racing then endured a long period of frustration, and the story became part of the club’s mythology.

The Magical Game: The Strange History of Football Curses and ‘Pitchcraft’

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The Magical Game: The Strange History of Football Curses and ‘Pitchcraft’

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