Nigeria head coach accuses DR Congo of 'voodoo practice' during penalty shootout in CAF 2026 World Cup playoff final

DR Congo defeated the Super Eagles in the shootouts.

Eric Chelle, the head coach of Nigeria, said that DR Congo were “practising voodoo” when they defeated his team in the 2026 World Cup CAF playoffs finals’ penalty shootout.

DR Congo advanced to the intercontinental play-offs for March after defeating Nigeria 4-3 on penalties in their African World Cup play-off final. A shootout was necessary to separate the teams after the encounter finished in a 1-1 draw.

The result means Nigeria miss the men’s World Cup for the second time in a row, ending their chances of reaching the main event next summer.

‘During the entire penalty shootout, the guy from DR Congo was doing voodoo,’ Chelle told reporters after the match.

Social media videos showed Chelle trying to confront DR Congo coaching staff members prior to the shootout’s last penalty.

Before grabbing a water bottle, the former Mali international was spotted yelling at the DR Congo employees while holding out his arms.

A member of his own coaching staff restrained Chelle. But as soon as Chancel Mbemba netted the game-winning penalty, the coach began to sprint in the direction of the opposing bench.

Nigeria’s head coach reveals DR Congo were practising voodoo

Once more, the Nigerian boss was restrained by his own members. Chelle claimed their rivals had been “practising voodoo” when questioned about the altercation.

“Every time, every time, every time. That’s why I was a little nervous after him. When asked to describe what he saw, Chelle responded by swinging his right arm in the air, adding ‘Something like that. I don’t know if it was water or something.'”

Nigeria would miss out on consecutive World Cups as a result of their failure; they were also absent from Qatar 2022.

Since qualifying for the World Cup for the first time in 1994, Nigeria have been a regular participant; only Cameroon, Morocco, and Tunisia have represented Africa more than the Super Eagles (6).

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