Head coach of the Super Eagles Eric Chelle has accused the coaching crew of the Democratic Republic of using voodoo during the penalty shootout at the 2026 CAF World Cup Playoff in Rabat, Morocco, on Sunday.
The DRC smashed Nigeria’s dream of reaching the finals in the United States, Canada and Mexico with a 4-3 victory during the penalty shootout after 1-1 in regulation time.
Eagles defender Olawasemilogo Ajayi missed Nigeria’s first penalty during the sudden death to enable DRC captain Chancel Mbemba net the crucial spot-kick after Timothy Fayulu had saved from Nigeria in the sixth round of the shootout.
As that drama was playing out on the pitch, Chelle was seen charging towards the DRC bench with a plastic bottle in his hand. He was restrained on two occasions, first by a Nigerian official and second by both Nigerian and DRC coaching crew, pointing towards an individual that was not caught on camera.
Speaking with ESPN in the mixed zone after the game, he was asked to explain the reason for his anger.
‘During all the penalty session, the guy of DRC Congo did some voodoo every time, every time, so this is why I was a little nervous after him,” The Nigeria coach stated.
When asked what he saw, he said: “Something like that, the guy was doing like this (spinning his hand in the air) you know with I don’t know if it is water,” he stated.
It would be a miracle if the Malian escapes a ban from CAF or FIFA.
