Nigeria's head coach, Éric Chelle, has accused the Democratic Republic of Congo of using "voodoo" during the penalty shootout that led to Nigeria's qualification failure for the 2026 World Cup. The match ended 1-1 in regulation time, with DR Congo winning the shootout 4-3.
Chelle made the unusual claim to reporters, stating that a DR Congo official performed "voodoo" actions during the shootout, causing him to become nervous. He vaguely described the actions as waving an arm and possibly involving "water or something like that." This defeat, against a lower-ranked opponent, means Nigeria will miss their second consecutive World Cup.
