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)

Tens of thousands of airline passengers are stranded by the Iran war that has spread across the Gulf region, but some wealthy travelers are getting out — by paying large sums for luxury flights to Europe via airports that are safe from Iranian drone and missile attacks.

Demand for charter flights has skyrocketed, with some people paying up to 200,000 euros ($232,000) as major airports in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha, Qatar, were closed after the start of the conflict last weekend.

Travelers from Dubai, usually known as a safe and luxurious destination, are seeking to evacuate by traveling overland either to Muscat, Oman, about a four-hour drive, or to Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, more than 10 hours away. Then they board one of the few available commercial flights or take a charter flight, whose costs have soared since the start of the war.

“The demand is huge, and we can’t deliver enough aircraft to respond to the demand,” said Altay Kula, CEO of the France-based private jet broker JET-VIP.

Whereas normally a charter flight on a private jet that can accommodate up to 16 passengers from Riyadh to Porto in Portugal may cost around 100,000 euros ($115,800) these days, the cost has doubled, Kula said.

“This increase in cost reflects the aircraft’s scarcity, the repositioning costs as well, and the operator risk assessments. So this is not speculative pricing,” he added.

Prices can vary depending on the departure point, the type of aircraft and the route constraints, said Ameerh Naran, CEO of Vimana Private Jets. For flights from the Gulf region to Europe, prices are ranging from 150,000 euros ($173,800) to 200,000 euros, he added.

In order to reach functional airports such as those in Riyadh and Muscat, some travelers hire private security companies that coordinate transportation in vehicles ranging from ordinary passenger cars to coach buses.

Due to the heavy traffic, wait times at border points with Oman can be up to four hours, while costs range in the thousands of dollars, said Ian McCaul, operations and planning director with Alma Risk, a U.K.-based risk management and security firm.

Those seeking to leave are predominantly stranded travelers, as opposed to residents, McCaul added.

He estimates his company has made transfer arrangements for more than 200 people and advised several others in recent days.

Vimana's clients include business executives, families and entrepreneurs, as well as remote workers who had been based in the region, Naran said.

Elie Hanna, CEO for the Middle East headquarters of Air Charter Service, based in Dubai, said most of the flights out of the region are leaving from Oman. The prices are so high, he said, because few charter planes are available since most of them are stuck at airports that are now closed.

The clients he is seeing range from people who regularly charter private, as well as people who generally fly commercial but are trying to pool resources with other travelers or families to share the expense.

“Everyone is stressed," Hanna said. "To be honest, everyone is trying to accommodate as much as they can. Muscat Airport is overloaded with flights and everybody is stressed.”

Experts from the International SOS security and health services company expect the fighting to continue to affect transportation and energy infrastructure for weeks.

A few people walk in a public plaza in downtown Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Tuesday, March 3, 2026. (AP Photo/ Fatima Shbair)

Light traffic moves along a main road in downtown Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Tuesday, March 3, 2026. (AP Photo/ Fatima Shbair)

ADDS CAUSE OF BLACK SMOKE IN THE BACKGROUND.- A plume of smoke caused by an Iranian strike is seen in the background an an Emirates plane is parked at the Dubai International Airport after its closure in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Sunday, March 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)