A Ghanaian spiritualist's claim that he cast a spell on England captain Harry Kane, leading to his missed penalty against Ghana, has brought renewed attention to football's long-standing association with curses and supernatural interventions. The incident echoes a similar claim made by the same witch doctor, who later announced he had lifted the spell.
This narrative taps into a deeper vein of folklore within Australian football, which has its own storied history with alleged curses. The most enduring tale dates back to 1969, when the Socceroos faced Rhodesia in a World Cup qualifier in Mozambique. According to the legend, after Australia failed to pay a local witch doctor for his services in hexing the opposing team, the curse was reportedly reversed onto Australian football.
Former Socceroos captain Johnny Warren became a prominent believer in this curse, attributing Australia's repeated failures to qualify for the World Cup, including the infamous 1997 playoff loss to Iran, to this supernatural debt. He suggested that unexplained outcomes, like the 1997 match, were evidence of the lingering curse.
In 2004, television personality John Safran documented his journey to Mozambique to lift this curse for his show, "John Safran vs God." After finding a spiritual healer who claimed to communicate with the original witch doctor, Safran underwent a ritual at the stadium where the alleged curse began, followed by a second ceremony in Sydney. Shortly after, in November 2004, a year after Warren's death, Australia qualified for the World Cup for the first time in 32 years, defeating Uruguay in a penalty shootout. Some jokingly attributed the end of the drought to Safran's efforts.
More recently, in the lead-up to the Socceroos' 2022 World Cup playoff against Peru, 13 Peruvian shamans performed a ritual in Lima, using traditional methods and consuming ayahuasca, to ensure their nation's victory. They blew a ceremonial horn and reportedly stabbed an image of the Australian team. Despite these elaborate efforts, Australia defeated Peru in a penalty shootout, with goalkeeper Andrew Redmayne's unconventional saves playing a crucial role in their qualification for Qatar.
These instances highlight a recurring theme in football where dramatic outcomes are sometimes attributed to supernatural forces, weaving a unique tapestry of folklore and belief around the sport. Kane's experience and the Socceroos' historical encounters with alleged curses underscore the enduring fascination with the mystical in professional football.