2026 WCQ: Chelle Accuses DR Congo of Using ‘Voodoo’ to win Nigeria

By Ifeanyi Okwara

Super Eagles head coach, Eric Chelle, has alleged that the Democratic Republic of Congo engaged in “voodoo” practices during the penalty shoot-out of Sunday’s World Cup qualifying playoff final in Morocco.

Speaking to reporters after the match, Chelle said his frustration during the tense shoot-out was directed at certain members of DR Congo’s backroom staff, whom he accused of performing rituals aimed at unsettling Nigerian players.

Nigeria opened the scoring in the third minute through a deflected effort by Frank Onyeka, but Meschak Elia equalised for DR Congo later in the first half. With no further goals in regulation or extra time, the match ended 1–1 after 120 minutes before proceeding to penalties.

DR Congo eventually triumphed in the shoot-out to advance to the final stage of the World Cup qualifying play-offs.

Tensions escalated after Chancel Mbemba scored the winning penalty, prompting Chelle to charge toward the DR Congo technical area, confronting head coach Sébastien Desabre and other staff members before Nigerian officials intervened.

Desabre later dismissed the incident at the post-match press conference, describing it as “not an issue.”

Chelle, however, maintained his stance, insisting he witnessed Congolese officials performing ritual-like actions during every Nigerian penalty.

“During all the penalty sessions, the guy from Congo did some voodoo,” Chelle claimed, adding that he saw someone in the technical area “spraying something, maybe water,” in an attempt to affect his players.

The loss deepens Nigeria’s World Cup struggles, as the Super Eagles also failed to qualify for the 2022 tournament—marking the first time since their 1994 debut that they have missed two consecutive editions.