Eric Chelle, head coach of the Super Eagles
Eric Chelle, Super Eagles head coach, has accused the DR Congo team of “doing voodoo” during the penalty shootouts of the African World Cup playoffs final.
The Super Eagles will miss the 2026 World Cup after losing to DR Congo 4-3 on penalties. The match had ended 1-1 after extra time.
Calvin Bassey, Moses Simon and Semi Ajayi all missed their penalties, and Chancel Mbemba scored the winning kick for the Congolese to send them into the intercontinental playoffs.
After the winning penalty, Chelle was seen confronting the DR Congo bench, and he had to be held back before the situation became a brawl.
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Speaking after the game, Chelle alleged that the Congolese bench used voodoo “every time” during the penalty kicks.
He added that he saw someone in the DR Congo technical area using “something water” to jinx the Nigerian players.
“During all the penalty sessions, the DR Congo did some voodoo. Every time. Every time. That was why I was a bit nervous,” the Franco-Malian coach said.
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“I saw something like water or something.”
The Super Eagles also missed out on the 2022 World Cup. It is the first time Nigeria have failed to qualify for two consecutive World Cups since the country’s debut in 1994.
