After the World Cup dream was shattered
Nigeria national coach accuses opponents of voodoo
Updated 11/17/2025 – 1:57 p.mReading time: 1 min.
Nigeria imagined things differently: Coach Eric Chelle’s team will not take part in the World Cup. The coach then made accusations.
After failing in the World Cup playoffs against the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria’s coach Éric Chelle caused a stir. While he was still on the pitch, he clashed with representatives of his opponent and then made serious accusations at the press conference.
“During their penalty kicks, the DRC players repeatedly practiced voodoo,” Chelle claimed. However, he was unable to provide more detailed information about how his team was specifically affected by this.
Chelle also took aim at the media. He accused the journalists present of having previously ignored the topic in the press conference with Congo coach Sébastien Desabre.
Chelle’s accusations did not change the result: Nigeria lost 3-4 to the Democratic Republic of Congo in a chaotic penalty shootout. External circumstances also contributed to the unrest: heavy rain began at the start of the decision, and plastic bottles were thrown several times at the shooters from the Nigerian fan block.
For Nigeria this means: The “Super Eagles” will miss out on taking part in the World Cup for the second time in a row. The Democratic Republic of Congo, on the other hand, is still in the race for a World Cup ticket. The team moves into the intercontinental playoffs in March. From Africa, Egypt, Algeria, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Cape Verde, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa and Tunisia have so far qualified directly for the tournament.