Claim of Witchcraft in the Nigeria–Democratic Republic of Congo Match

17.11.2025 - 18:21

Nigeria lost its chance to participate in the World Cup, falling 4-3 to the Democratic Republic of Congo in a match that ended 1-1 after both regular and extra time, only to be decided by penalties. The Nigerian team, which included Super League players Osimhen and Ndidi, was led by coach Eric Chelle, who attributed their disappointing loss to witchcraft. In his post-match comments, Chelle claimed that during the penalty shootout, fans of the Democratic Republic of Congo performed 'voodoo magic' behind the goal.

The World Cup dream of Nigeria, where Galatasaray's striker Osimhen and Beşiktaş's midfielder Ndidi play, has come to an end.

Taking the lead in the playoff match with Onyeka, Nigeria couldn't prevent the goal by Elia, who plays for Alanyaspor, and the match ended in a 1-1 draw.

When no further goals were scored during the overtime, the match proceeded to penalties. The Democratic Republic of Congo triumphed in the penalty shootout 4-3, thereby keeping their World Cup hopes alive.

Eric Chelle claimed that a "voodoo spell" was cast after the match.

Nigeria's Technical Director, Eric Chelle, expressed suspicion about a spectator behind the goal during the penalty shootout in his post-match interview. Chelle stated, 'In every penalty decision, there was this Congolese man performing some sort of voodoo. Every single time... Always. Consequently, I became a bit tense after that.'