Nigeria head coach Éric Chelle has accused the Congo DR side of "voodoo" during the penalty shootout that saw the end of his side's chances of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.
Frank Onyeka put Nigeria ahead in their crucial qualifier before Meschack Elia's equaliser took the game to a penalty shootout where DR Congo came out 4-3 winners and kept their own World Cup dreams alive.
After the result, Chelle made an unusual accusation when talking about the shootout that confirmed that Nigeria will miss a second World Cup in a row.
"During all the penalty decision the guy of Congo did some Voodoo. Every time ... Every time. So this is why I was a little nervous after him," Chelle told reporters.
When asked what he saw, Chelle waved his right arm but couldn't confirm the specifics of his claim.
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"Something like that [waving his arm]. You know with I don't know if it's water or something like that you know," he said.
The defeat, which came against a side ranked 19 places below them, condemned Nigeria to a third missed World Cup since 2006.
Nigeria's football federation put out a statement in the aftermath of the loss, apologising to their fans and the president of the country,
"The Nigeria Football Federation wishes to openly and sincerely apologise to His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu [GCFR], to the Federal Government as a whole; and to millions of Nigerians, most especially our passionate, loyal football fans, following the Super Eagles failure to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup finals," they wrote on X.
"Sunday's loss to DR Congo in the Africa Play-off Final in Rabat remains a moment of profound sadness for Nigerian football. For a nation where the Super Eagles serve as a symbol of unity, hope, and collective pride, missing out on the World Cup for a second consecutive time is a disappointment of great weight and emotional depth.
"The NFF, the technical crew, and the players understand the gravity of this moment. We understand the expectations Nigerians rightly hold.
"We understand the passion and sacrifice of a country that has always stood firmly behind its team, through triumphs and trials. And we recognise that our collective effort did not deliver the outcome this nation deserved."