Nigeria coach, Eric Chelle, has alleged that a DR Congo staff member engaged in “voodoo” during the penalty shootout of Sunday’s World Cup playoff in Rabat, where the Super Eagles were knocked out of the race for the 2026 tournament.
The term voodoo is commonly used to describe a range of traditional spiritual or ritual practices, although it is frequently applied inaccurately or in a misleading way in sporting conversations.
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 loss means the Super Eagles will miss the World Cup for the second consecutive year.
In a video posted by ESPN Africa on X on Monday, which showed Chelle speaking to journalists after the match, Chelle said 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.
“During all the penalty decision, a guy of 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.”
The claims could not be independently verified.
SEE VIDEO HERE:
Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday“During all the penalties, the guy from DR Congo did some voodoo.”
— ESPN Africa (@ESPNAfrica) November 17, 2025
Nigeria head coach Éric Chelle explains why tempers flared between him and the DR Congo staff at the end of the World Cup playoff final. pic.twitter.com/nMyTIcqlTT
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Eric Chelle, where did you drop your own voodoo. You had bad penalty takers and players who were not serious at all right from the word go.
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