England’s record goalscorer is gearing up to face Ghana with the top position in Group L at stake.

The World Cup is widely seen as a celebration of diverse cultures from across the world, yet some old tabloid clichés continue to surface.

Instead of consulting a Ghanaian football analyst ahead of the Black Stars’ upcoming match against England on Tuesday, the ever-provocative Daily Star chose to speak with self-proclaimed ‘witch doctor’ Nana Kwaku Bonsam, known for his attention-grabbing claims.

As luck would have it, he had quite the story for them — he claimed that he plans to cast a spell on Harry Kane.

The stereotype of the ‘African witch doctor’, especially when linked to curses, has often been criticised for trivialising the legitimate and positive role of traditional healers, turning them into subjects of ridicule.

The phrase itself carries what many describe as ‘centuries of colonial baggage’, yet it continues to feature in certain corners of the British media.

Nana stated: “I am working on Harry Kane. I have shown what I am capable of before, so I know what I must do to stop him. I am very famous for my predictions.”

This brings to mind the often-quoted words attributed to BBC director general Lord Reith: “If a person is famous, it is superfluous to point out the fact; if he is not, then it is a lie.”

In any event, Nana added: “I am not wishing [Kane] serious injury. It will be just enough to stop him against my country. I will do my work so that it can help Ghana.”

Nana has previously taken credit for Cristiano Ronaldo’s knee injury woes leading up to the 2014 World Cup.

Despite that claim, Ronaldo played every match for Portugal in that tournament and even scored the decisive goal in a 2-1 win over Ghana, though both teams were eliminated in the group stage. By comparison, even Danhausen boasts a stronger record of success.

Ghana were far from convincing in their opening fixture of this summer’s World Cup, but they still managed to secure a 1-0 win over Panama thanks to Caleb Yirenkyi’s dramatic 95th-minute strike.

That result leaves them level on points with England, who defeated Croatia 4-2 with Kane netting twice in the first half and Jude Bellingham and Marcus Rashford adding goals after the break.

The two teams are set to face each other on Tuesday at Boston’s Gillette Stadium, with kick-off scheduled for 4pm local time (9pm UK time).

A win for either side could see them claim the top spot in Group L, depending on the outcome of the later match between Panama and Croatia.