Nigeria head coach Éric Chelle has alleged that the Democratic Republic of Congo resorted to voodoo during Sunday’s penalty shootout that ended Nigeria’s World Cup dream.
DR Congo secured a 4-3 victory on penalties at the Crown Prince Moulay El Hassan Stadium in Morocco, eliminating the Super Eagles from FIFA World Cup contention.
The match had been locked at 1-1 after extra time, with first-half goals from Frank Onyeka (3’) for Nigeria and Mechak Elia (52’) for DR Congo. Extra-time substitute Timothy Fayulu became the hero for the Leopards, saving two penalties to send his team through to the FIFA Play-Off Tournament.
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Following the match, Chelle was involved in a heated altercation with DR Congo staff and accused the Leopards of using voodoo during the shootout.
“During all the penalty, the session, the guy of Congo did some voodoo. Every time, every time, every time. So this is why I was a little nervous after him,” said Chelle, which was captured in a video posted by ESPN Africa on X.
Chelle claimed he saw a member of the DR Congo staff throwing a liquid towards the goal.
Nigeria have now failed to qualify for a second successive World Cup, while the Leopards will look to secure their spot at the tournament through the upcoming intercontinental play-offs.
