Ex-DR Congo coach dismisses Chelle’s voodoo claims

File Photo: Super Eagles coach Eric Chelle

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Former DR Congo head coach Florent Ibenge has described Nigeria’s accusations that the Leopards used “voodoo” to influence last month’s 2026 World Cup qualifier African play-off final between the two nations as nonsense.

In the wake of Nigeria’s 4-3 penalty shootout defeat to DR Congo in Morocco last month, an agitated Super Eagles coach, Eric Chelle, pointed fingers at an unnamed DR Congo official, accusing him of unsporting conduct during the shootout as the Leopards progressed to next March’s FIFA Inter-confederation play-off.

While footage appeared to show one of DRC’s technical staff gesturing his arm in a rhythmic manner toward the goal where the penalties were being taken, Ibenge insists such practices do not exist within the national setup.

“As for voodoo, I don’t believe in it for a second,” the Tanzania-based Ibenge told ESPN.

“Especially as I know the person who’s been accused of this very well.

“I spent seven years in Congolese football and never once did I see a cause-and-effect relationship. It’s complete nonsense — more folklore than anything else. We’re just perpetuating legends and rumours. It’s the legacy of our oral tradition that continues.”

Before Ibenge spoke, former Super Eagles striker Yakubu Aiyegbeni also described Chelle’s comments as shameful.

“If it were down to voodoo, I think an African country would have won the World Cup a long time ago,” Aiyegbeni said in an interview with SportsCasting.

“He [Chelle] should have congratulated DR Congo and said well done for winning, rather than bringing shame to Nigeria. He is a disgrace to Nigeria — a coach coming out and saying it’s because of voodoo. We lost on penalties; he tried to fight someone and they had to pull him back. It is not a good look for him or for Nigeria. Our penalties were quite poor. The pressure was too much for the players to deal with.”

The Leopards will face the winner of Jamaica vs New Caledonia in Zapopan on March 31, 2026, to determine who takes one of the two remaining inter-confederation play-off places for the summer showpiece, while Nigeria will now miss two consecutive World Cups for the first time since 1990, having also failed to qualify for the 2022 edition in Qatar.

Abiodun, who reports Sports for PUNCH, covers different tiers of the Nigerian football league, the national teams, as well as cricket, in the last six years

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