Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle has alleged that the Democratic Republic of Congo engaged in “voodoo” practices during Sunday’s penalty shoot-out defeat in the World Cup qualifying playoff final held in Morocco.
Chelle made the claim while speaking to journalists after the match, explaining that his anger during the shoot-out was directed at certain members of DR Congo’s backroom staff, whose actions he said were suspicious and unsettling in the tense closing moments.
Nigeria began the game strongly, taking the lead within three minutes after Frank Onyeka’s strike took a deflection to beat the Congolese goalkeeper. DR Congo later equalised through Meschak Elia in the first half. With neither side able to score again in normal time or extra time, the match finished 1–1 after 120 minutes.
The Congolese team eventually held their nerve in the shoot-out to move forward to the final phase of the World Cup qualifying play-offs.
Tensions escalated moments after Chancel Mbemba netted the winning penalty. Chelle rushed towards the DR Congo technical bench and confronted several staff members—including head coach Sébastien Desabre—before officials from Nigeria stepped in to restrain him.
Desabre, who addressed the media first, dismissed the heated exchange, saying it was “not an issue.”
Chelle disagreed. He insisted he had reacted to what he believed were deliberate “voodoo” attempts carried out by individuals on the Congolese bench during each penalty. He said he observed someone in their technical area using “something water” and performing gestures he felt were aimed at unsettling Nigerian players.
“During all the penalty sessions, the guy from Congo did some voodoo,” Chelle said.
“Every time, so this is why I was a little nervous after him.”
Pressed to describe what he saw, Chelle added, “Yeah, something like, I don’t know if it’s water or something like that [he was spraying it up].”
The loss deepens Nigeria’s recent World Cup struggles. Having also missed out on the 2022 edition, the Super Eagles have now failed to reach two consecutive World Cups for the first time since their debut appearance in 1994.
What you should know
Eric Chelle’s accusation adds a controversial layer to Nigeria’s penalty shoot-out defeat, marking another setback in the Super Eagles’ World Cup journey.
His claims of “voodoo” against DR Congo come amid rising frustration following Nigeria’s second consecutive failure to qualify for football’s biggest tournament.
