DR CONGO have denied that they were “doing some voodoo” after claims from Nigeria manager Eric Chelle following the dramatic World Cup play-off on Sunday.
were beaten by their opponents in the final on penalties after a 1-1 draw but the game descended into drama.
Nigeria manager Eric Chelle claimed DR Congo staff used “voodoo” during their penalty shootout lossCredit: EPA
Congo boss Sebastien Desabre played down the allegationsCredit: EPA
Chelle confronted the opposition bench before the winning penalty and had to be restrained
He was held back on the touchline before making comments about the incident afterwards
Chelle did not want to let the issue slide
The defeat ends their hopes of playing at the 2026 World Cup whilst Congo still need to emerge victorious from a six-team inter-continental play-off in March to book their spot.
Drama went beyond the 120 minutes of football when Chelle confronted Congo’s staff after Chancel Mbemba’s winning penalty.
Congo head coach Sebastien Desabre played down the incident, saying it was “not an issue.”
However, Chelle did not let it slide when he arrived.
Speaking in French at his post-match press conference, he said: “DR Congo guys were doing maraboutage.”
It refers to a practice commonly associated with witchcraft in northern and west African history.
Chelle later added: “During all of the penalties, the guys of Congo did some voodoo.
“Every time, every time, every time.
“So this is why I was a little nervous after him.”
Chelle continued, waving his hand in the air to show what he saw: “Something like that with the, I don’t know if it’s water or something like that you know.”
Congo have rebutted the statement, The Athletic report.
Videos from behind the touchline show Chelle picking up a water bottle in his technical area and confronting the Congo staff with his arms spread wide.
He had to be restrained on the touchline before the final penalty but took off to try and get closer to Congo bench after his side’s fate was sealed.
A group of people held Chelle back as he lost his temper.
Nigeria had gone ahead early through ‘s deflected effort but Congo equalised through Meschak Elia.
The game went to penalties and saw the holders dumped out.
