David GOMBE
Nigeria coach Éric Chelle has accused a Congo team Staff for using Voodoo during the African playoff final qualifier for the 2026 World Cup on Sunday.
Congo won the African playoff final late Sunday in a penalty shootout with substitute goalkeeper Timothy Fayulu penalty heroics earning them a place in the intercontinental playoffs in March.
Nigerian head coach Chelle was filmed during the shootout getting agitated with the Congo coaching staff and moving aggressively toward the rival technical area.
“The guy of Congo did some voodoo,” former Mali international Chelle told reporters in the postgame media mixed zone. “Every time, every time, every time, so this is why I was a little nervous (of) him.”
Asked to explain what happened, Chelle did a gesture of shaking a water bottle.
Nigeria has now failed to qualify for back-to-back World Cups despite star strikers Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman being in their career prime years.
Osimhen was injured in the first half Sunday and replaced at half time with the score 1-1, and Lookman also was removed in the second half.
Congo coach Sebastien Desabre swapped his goalkeepers in the 119th minute of the game with the shootout in mind, sending on Timothy Fayulu to replace Lionel Mpasi.
Fayulu saved two of Nigeria’s six spot-kicks, the second from Moses Simon and the sixth by Semi Ajayi, before Congo’s Chancel Mbemba sealed the win.
FIFA will have the six-team draw for international playoffs the six-team on Thursday. Congo is joined by Bolivia, New Caledonia, either Iraq or the United Arab Emirates and two teams from the north American region CONCACAF who finish their qualifying program Tuesday
