Following the World Cup Qualifiers Playoffs loss and disqualification, Nigerian Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle made disturbing remarks, alleging that an official of the DR Congo engaged in “voodoo” during the penalty shootout.
The word “voodoo” is a term commonly used to describe sorcery or a range of spiritual or ritual practices.
As is widely known, “voodoo” is a ritual system used to coerce spirits to intervene and influence real-world events or outcomes, including luck, health, or personal success.
Players, coaches, or fans sometimes claim that opponents use it to influence the outcome of a match, suggesting that supernatural forces rather than skill or strategy were responsible for the result.
Nigeria’s campaign ended in a 4–3 defeat on penalties after the match finished 1–1 across 120 minutes at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium.
The Super Eagles, after the loss, has missed out on two consecutive World Cup tournaments.
In a video posted by ESPN Africa on X on Monday, Chelle, while speaking to journalists after the match, explained that he reacted out of frustration after witnessing repeated gestures from a member of DR Congo’s technical area during the video assistant referee review for a penalty incident.
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“During all the penalty decisions, a guy from Congo did some voodoo… Every time, every time, every time. So this is why I was a little nervous after him,” he said.
When asked to explain what he saw, Chelle added while gesturing: “Something like that. I don’t know if it’s water or something like that.”
TVC previously reported that the Super Eagles have missed out on a place at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Canada, the United States, and Mexico after losing to DR Congo on penalties in Sunday’s fiercely contested African play-off final.
The match finished 1-1 after 120 gruelling minutes, but the Leopards triumphed 4-3 in the shootout to claim Africa’s sole ticket to the intercontinental play-offs scheduled for March 2025.
Nigeria got off to a perfect start, taking the lead just three minutes in when Frank Onyeka smashed home from close range. The early goal lifted the Super Eagles, who pushed hard for a second but failed to convert several promising chances.
BREAKING: Nigeria Crash Out of 2026 World Cup After Suprising Loss To DR Congo
