Soccer Coach Accuses Opponent of Voodoo After Loss

Sometimes a losing coach blames the refs, his own players, or even himself. But the head coach of Nigeria's soccer team has come up with a novel new scapegoat: voodoo. As ESPN reports, Eric Chelle lobbed the odd accusation at the Congo team after the latter won a huge game on penalty kicks Sunday. "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 to clarify what he meant, Chelle gestured with his right arm and said it involved "water or something like that."

Chelle actually confronted the Congo coaching staff during the shootout and had to be separated from them, per the Athletic. Later, Chelle widened the accusation to other members of the team. "During all of the penalties, the players of Congo were doing some voodoo," he said, questioning why reporters were not asking about it. The upset loss in the qualifying game for the 2026 World Cup means Nigeria will miss the tournament for a second consecutive time, and for the third time since 2006. A rep from the Congo team denied that witchcraft played any role in the win.