Super Eagles coach Eric Chelle has claimed that a member of DR Congo’s staff used what he described as voodoo during the penalty shootout of Sunday’s World Cup playoff in Rabat, where Nigeria lost 4 to 3 on penalties.
The match had ended 1 to 1 after 120 minutes at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium. The defeat means Nigeria will miss the 2026 World Cup.
In a video posted by ESPN Africa on X, Chelle said he became irritated after seeing repeated gestures from someone in DR Congo’s technical area during the VAR review for a penalty call.
He said, “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.”
When asked to describe what he saw, Chelle added, “Something like that. I don’t know if it’s water or something like that.”
The claim has not been independently verified.
Nigeria took the lead in the third minute through Frank Onyeka before M. Elia equalised for DR Congo in the 32nd minute.
The shootout went back and forth. Calvin Bassey and Moses Simon missed their kicks, while Nwabali saved DR Congo’s first attempt to keep Nigeria in the contest. Akor Adams later scored to keep hope alive before DR Congo converted their fourth kick to seal the win.
DR Congo will now move on to the intercontinental playoff for a World Cup spot, while the Super Eagles’ journey ended in disappointment.
