Nigeria coach claims 'voodoo' by Congo staff during penalty shootout loss in World Cup qualifying

RABAT, Morocco (AP) — A Congo team staff member used voodoo during the penalty shootout, Nigeria coach Éric Chelle claimed after the African soccer power was eliminated from qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.

Congo won the African playoff final late Sunday in a penalty shootout — getting two saves from a substitute goalkeeper sent on late in extra time of a 1-1 draw — and advanced to the intercontinental playoffs in March.

Chelle was filmed during the shootout getting agitated with the Congo coaching staff and moving aggressively toward the rival technical area.

“The guy of Congo did some voodoo,” former Mali international Chelle told reporters in the postgame media mixed zone. “Every time, every time, every time, so this is why I was a little nervous (of) him.”

Asked to explain what happened, Chelle did a gesture of shaking a water bottle.

Nigeria has now failed to qualify for back-to-back World Cups despite star strikers Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman being in their career prime years.

Osimhen was injured in the first half Sunday and replaced at half time with the score 1-1, and Lookman also was removed in the second half.

Congo coach Sebastien Desabre swapped his goalkeepers in the 119th minute of the game with the shootout in mind, sending on Timothy Fayulu to replace Lionel Mpasi.

Fayulu saved two of Nigeria’s six spot-kicks, the second from Moses Simon and the sixth by Semi Ajayi, before Congo’s Chancel Mbemba sealed the win.

Fayulu’s feat echoed the most famous substitute goalkeeper in a World Cup shootout, at the 2014 tournament in Brazil.

Netherlands coach Louis van Gaal famously took off Jasper Cillessen and sent on Tim Krul to make two key saves against Costa Rica and sent the Dutch to the semifinals.

Geneva-born Fayulu is currently playing on loan from Swiss club Sion with Armenian champion Noah. He has been a regular in the UEFA Conference League this season.

FIFA makes the six-team draw on Thursday for the intercontinental playoffs. Congo is joined by Bolivia, New Caledonia, either Iraq or the United Arab Emirates and two teams from the north American region CONCACAF who finish their qualifying program Tuesday.

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Congo national team members celebrate with their coach Sebastien Desabre after being qualified for the FIFA 2026 soccer World Cup in the African qualifier final match against Nigeria, in Rabat, Morocco, Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025. (AP Photo)

Congo's Ngal'ayel Mukau challenges Nigeria's Wilfred Ndidi during the World Cup African qualifier soccer match between Congo and Nigeria, in Rabat, Morocco, Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025. (AP Photo)

Supporters of Congo cheer their national team ahead of World Cup African qualifier soccer match against Nigeria, in Rabat, Morocco, Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025. (AP Photo)

Congo national team members pose for a photo as they celebrate with their coach Sebastien Desabre after being qualified for the FIFA 2026 soccer World Cup in the African qualifier final match against Nigeria, in Rabat, Morocco, Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025. (AP Photo)

NEW DELHI (AP) — A fire ripped through a popular nightclub in India’s Goa state, killing 25 people, including tourists, the state’s chief minister said Sunday.

The blaze occurred just past midnight in Arpora village in North Goa, a party hub, some 25 kilometers (15-miles) from the state capital, Panaji.

Goa’s Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said most of the dead were the club’s kitchen workers, as well as three to four tourists. Six people were injured and are in stable condition, he said. All the bodies have been recovered.

The fire was caused by a gas cylinder blast and has been extinguished, the Press Trust of India news agency reported, quoting local police. However, witnesses told the agency that the fire began on the club’s first floor, where nearly 100 tourists were on the dance floor. Several rushed to the kitchen below in the chaos and got trapped along with staff, it said.

Fatima Shaikh said the commotion began as flames erupted, according to the news agency. “We rushed out of the club only to see that the entire structure was up in flames,” she said.

The nightclub, located along the Arpora River backwaters, had a narrow entry and exit that forced the firefighters to park their tankers about 400 meters (1,300 feet) away, delaying the efforts, the news agency said.

Sawant said the club had violated fire safety regulations. The state government ordered an inquiry to determine the exact cause of the fire and responsibility, he said, adding that authorities would act against the club management and officials who allowed it to operate despite the violations.

Local village council official Roshan Redkar told the news agency that authorities had earlier issued a demolition notice for the club, which didn't have construction permit from the government. But higher officials rolled back the order, he said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a social media post called the fire "deeply saddening# and said he spoke with Sawant. Modi said the government “is providing all possible assistance” while offering condolences to the victims’ families.

Accidents, particularly involving gas cylinders and electric short circuits, aren’t uncommon in India and often result in casualties, underlining the need for authorities to implement stringent safety protocols.

“This is not just an accident; it is a criminal failure of safety and governance,” Rahul Gandhi, a top leader of India’s main opposition Congress party, wrote in a social media post. He called for a transparent probe to "fix accountability and ensure such preventable tragedies don’t occur again.”

The western coastal state of Goa is one of India’s most popular tourist destinations, known for its sandy beaches.

The charred interiors of a nightclub, which caught fire early Sunday, are seen in Arpora, Goa, India, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo)