Followers declare him a fraud and threaten to burn his church down.
‘Prophet’ Shamed After Predicting England Would Beat Italy for Euro Cup
The founder of Glorious Wave Church International, Badu Kobi, made a prophecy on July 11 stating that England would defeat Italy to win the European Cup, in South Africa. (Zenger News)
A self-proclaimed prophet has been accused of fraud after claiming that England would win the UEFA European Football Championship final against Italy. Disgruntled fans are threatening to burn down his church after staking their money on his prediction.
Emmanuel Badu Kobi, founder of Glorious Wave Church in the small town of Sakunono in Ghana, is not new to controversy or public mockery.
He is widely known for making prophecies about national politics that turned out to be false. This time he waded into uncharted waters.
“Today England will beat Italy. That is the work of a prophet, to keep saying what God is saying,” he said July 11.
Italy triumphed 3–2 on penalties and won the tournament. Soccer fanatics who lost money betting on Kobi’s prophecy are flooding social media with denunciations and threats.
“Now for the match which will happen tonight between Brazil and Argentina, Brazil will win. Argentina will not win, Messi is part of Argentina, he is a great footballer but the night is not for them, the night is for Brazil and Brazil will win this cup. That is what the spirit of the Lord has revealed to me,” he said.
Unfortunately for Kobi, Argentina beat Brazil 1–0 and won the cup.
Kobi hasn’t justified his prediction, which came after he incorrectly forecasted that Brazil would defeat Argentina in the Copa America tournament.
“Now for the match which will happen tonight between Brazil and Argentina, Brazil will win. Argentina will not win. [Lionel] Messi is part of Argentina, he is a great footballer but the night is not for them, the night is for Brazil and Brazil will win this cup. That is what the spirit of the Lord has revealed to me,” he said then.
Argentina beat Brazil 1–0 and won the cup.
Patrick Kwarten Sprong, an outspoken member of the New Patriotic Party — which Kobi has pilloried with incorrect prophecies — appealed to the Christian Council of Ghana to ban the preacher from playing the oracle in the future.
Sprong’s letter to the council was a laundry list of Kobi’s bad predictions.
“He said that John Mahama would win the 2016 elections. Of course, he lost,” Sprong wrote. “In fact, he even said Akufo-Addo was cursed and not destined to become a president of Ghana. Afuko Addo is Ghana’s president for the second time running,”
Sprong wrote that in 2020, the self-proclaimed prophet predicted Donald Trump would win re-election and that Mahama would win the 2020 Ghana elections. Both men lost.
“Stop Badu Kobi from prophesying and showcasing them on television and Facebook. YouTube too, stop him from sending his fake prophecies there. I ask this with sadness crawling over me like ants climbing over a dead animal and feasting on its body,” Sprong wrote.
Kobi wrote July 12 on Facebook that he will respond to critics on July 18. He asked the news media to leave him alone until then, because he is “focused on changing lives.”
(Edited by Izzy Angeli and Kristen Butler)
