Nigeria Coach Accuses DR Congo of ‘Voodoo’ After 2026 World Cup Exit

Nigeria football coach Eric Chelle has stirred controversy after accusing the Democratic Republic of Congo of practising “voodoo” following his squad’s failure to secure a spot at the FIFA World Cup 2026. 

Nigeria’s hopes were dashed in a tense African play-offs final in Rabat, where DR Congo edged out the Super Eagles 4-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw across extra time. The victory sends the central African side into the inter-confederation play-offs scheduled in Mexico next March.

Speaking to journalists after the match, Chelle claimed a DR Congo team member “did some voodoo, every time, every time, every time.” The former Mali international, who has maintained an impressive run with four wins and two draws in competitive fixtures since taking over, said the repeated gestures made him uneasy throughout the encounter.

Chelle had already acknowledged before kickoff that the fixture would “be very difficult in Morocco.” Using hand movements to demonstrate, he explained that he saw a DR Congo staffer repeatedly waving his hand as if “sprinkling or shaking something.” He added, “I don’t know if it’s water or something like that,” emphasising the discomfort it caused on the sidelines.

The shootout became quite dramatic with four saves and one missed attempt. DR Congo captain Chancel Mbemba stayed calm under all that pressure. He still put away the key penalty even with a bottle flying in his direction. Heavy rain kept pouring as his team pushed for a return to the world stage after so many years.

Nigeria counts as one of Africa's top football teams overall. They rank 19 spots ahead of DR Congo in the world rankings. So they entered the match as the clear favorites. This surprise loss just locks in their miss on the World Cup again. It marks the second straight time without going. They have not dealt with that kind of streak since breaking through back in 1994.

DR Congo looks to carry forward the energy from this big win now. Their last World Cup appearance was in 1974. At that time, the country was known as Zaire.