DR Congo practiced ‘voodoo’ during World Cup play-off final – Nigeria coach Eric Chelle alleges

Nigeria head coach Eric Chelle has accused DR Congo technical team and players of practicing “voodoo” during their penalty shootout victory over his side on Sunday in Rabat.

After a 1-1 draw after 120 minutes of football, DR Congo booked their place in teh intercontinental playoffs after beating the Super Eagles 4-3 on penalty shootouts.

The defeat mean, Nigeria, for the second successive time, will not feature at the global showpiece, having missed out in the 2022 edition in Qatar.

Nigeria opened the scoring after three minutes through Frank Onyeka’s deflected strike, but Meschak Elia equalised for DR Congo to force extra time.

DR Congo won the penalty shootout to advance through to the final stage of the play-off system.

When Chancel Mbemba scored the winning penalty, Chelle confronted several members of DR Congo’s staff, including the head coach, Sebastien Desabre and had to be separated from them by members of Nigeria’s backroom team.

Chelle, speaking to the media, said, “DR Congo guys were doing maraboutage.

“During the penalty session, a guy from Congo did some voodoo every time, every time, so this is why I was a little nervous after him,” he added.

Nigeria will now turn their attention to the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), which gets underway in Morocco next month.