Nigeria head coach accuses DR Congo of using 'voodoo' during penalty shootout defeat

Eric Chelle confronted the opposition bench as the Super Eagles’ World Cup hopes ended

Nigeria head coach Eric Chelle has accused DR Congo players of practicing 'voodoo' during their penalty shootout victory on Sunday.

DR Congo won 4-3 on penalties in Morocco to advance to the World Cup 2026 inter-confederation play-offs in March, and end the Super Eagles ' hopes of competing in next summer's expanded tournament.

Nigeria had taken the lead after just three minutes when Frank Onyeka’s deflected strike beat Lionel M'Pasi, only for Meschack Elia to level matters before half-time.

The two teams could not be separated after 90 minutes, and then a further 30 minutes of extra time, so the Confederation of African Football (CAF) World Cup play-off final went to a shootout, which saw Chancel Mbemba score the winning penalty.

Chelle confronted the DR Congo bench in the immediate aftermath of the defeat before being escorted away by his own backroom team.

Chancel Mbeumba celebrates scoring winning penalty

REUTERS

Explaining the incident to reporters afterwards, Chelle claimed: "During all of the penalties, the players of Congo were doing some voodoo."

Nigeria's World Cup dream is over, but attention will quickly turn to next month's Africa Cup of Nations, also held in Morocco.

The Super Eagles' first group game sees them pitted against Tanzania on December 23, they then face Tunisia and Uganda before the end of 2025.