Nigeria coach Éric Chelle blamed ‘voodoo’ for his side’s heartbreaking World Cup qualifier penalty shootout defeat to DR Congo, which ended their hopes of reaching the 2026 tournament.
Nigeria coach Eric Chelle has alleged that a DR Congo staff member engaged in “voodoo” during the penalty shootout that saw the Super Eagles knocked out of the race for the 2026 tournament on Sunday in Rabat, according to a report from Punch Newspapers.
Chelle’s extraordinary claims, which could not be independently verified, were made to journalists after the match and were captured in a video posted by ESPN Africa on X on Monday.
The term “voodoo” is often inaccurately applied in sporting conversations to describe traditional spiritual or ritual practices, suggesting supernatural forces influenced the result.
The coach indicated he reacted out of frustration after witnessing repeated gestures from a member of DR Congo’s technical area during the video assistant referee review for a penalty incident.
“During all the penalty decision, a guy of Congo did some voodoo Every time, every time, every time. So this is why I was a little nervous after him,” Chelle said.
When pressed to explain the action he observed, Chelle added while gesturing: “Something like that. I don’t know if it’s water or something like that.”
In the dramatic playoff match, Nigeria had taken an early lead through Frank Onyeka in the third minute. M. Elia subsequently drew DR Congo level in the 32nd minute.
Despite both sides creating chances in extra time, neither found a winner, leading to a tense shootout that swung back and forth, ultimately ending Nigeria’s hopes of World Cup qualification.