Yakubu Ayegbeni has criticised Super Eagles coach Eric Chelle for claiming that “voodoo” influenced Nigeria’s failure to reach the 2026 World Cup, saying the comment has dragged the country’s name through the mud.

Nigeria slipped out of contention after a tense CAF play-off final in Rabat, where DR Congo held their nerve to win on penalties. Chancel Mbemba, who had already secured their semi-final victory over Cameroon, struck the winning spot-kick to seal Congo’s place in the next round.

Naija News reports that Chelle was seen confronting members of the Congo bench after the shoot-out, and later tried to explain his behaviour by insisting that “the players of Congo did some voodoo”.

Ayegbeni, who enjoyed a long career in the Premier League with Everton and Portsmouth, dismissed the coach’s explanation as embarrassing and out of touch.

“If it were down to Voodoo, I think an African country would have won the World Cup a long time ago,” he told SportsCasting.

“He (Chelle) just needed to congratulate DR Congo and say well done for winning, rather than bringing shame to Nigeria. He is a shame 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.“

Nigeria’s problems in the game started early. Calvin Bassey and Moses Simon both failed to convert their first two attempts, before Semi Ajayi saw his effort pushed away by Timothy Fayulu during sudden-death.

The match had been forced to penalties after Frank Onyeka put Nigeria ahead with a deflected strike, only for Meschak Elia to punish a mistake from Wilfried Ndidi to draw Congo level before the break.

DR Congo has not appeared at a World Cup since 1974, when they competed under the name Zaire. Their victory now sends them into the inter-continental play-offs in March, where they will face teams including Bolivia and New Caledonia as they look to secure a long-awaited return to the biggest stage in football.

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