Spoiler

Pigeon at Algeria game sent to put curse on England team

After all we’ve done for them. Trafalgar Square, anyone?

You’ve probably erased the entire game from your mind already, but those of you who can still remember the early moments of England‘s painful encounter with Algeria last Friday might recall seeing a brown pigeon casually perched on the Algerian net, like an avian version of The Simpsons’ shifty-eyed dog.

Well, it’s being claimed the bird was sent by a witchdoctor to do his evil bidding – in this case making Rooney and Gerrard look even worse than they did in England’s curse-free game against the USA – after he was paid off by Algerian fans.

It wouldn’t be the first time magic or ‘juju’ has been suspected of being employed at this year’s World Cup. Sensing something was amiss, those intrepid reporters at The Sun hit the streets of South Africa to find out more:

Shaman Olga Mokwena, 59, said: “It could be someone supporting Algeria has visited a witchdoctor to put a spell on England.

“I am following the World Cup very well and saw the pigeon. That bird was there at night when the birds are supposed to be sleeping. And that one was not sleeping.

“That told me it was protecting the Algeria goal. It was guarding it.”

• Algeria
• birds
• England
• Juju
• World Cup 2010