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)

LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — The apparent leader of a failed coup in Benin was on the run and the fate of hostages remained unclear a day after a group of soldiers attempted to overthrow the government of the West African nation.

The soldiers calling themselves the Committee for Refoundation stormed the national television station early Sunday morning. Led by Benin army officer Lt. Col. Pascal Tigri, eight soldiers appeared in a broadcast announcing the removal of President Patrice Talon, dissolution of the government and suspension of all state institutions.

By Sunday afternoon, the coup was foiled by Benin's military, supported by Nigerian air and ground forces, which launched a series of attacks against fleeing mutineers. At least a dozen soldiers were arrested while others remained at large Monday. Tigri's whereabouts were not known.

Talon described the coup late Sunday as a “senseless adventure” and said the situation was under control. He vowed to punish mutineers and ensure the safety of hostages, including some believed to be senior military officers. He did not disclose their identities or the number of casualties and hostages.

United Nations Secretary General António Guterres on Sunday condemned the attempted coup, saying it would “further threaten the stability of the region.”

Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu praised Nigeria's armed forces for standing “as a defender and protector of constitutional order in the Republic of Benin on the invitation of the government.”

The Economic Community of West African States, the organization representing the regional bloc of nations, said Sunday it had deployed a standby force to Benin to help preserve democracy. The troops included personnel from Nigeria, Ghana, Ivory Coast and Sierra Leone. The size of the force remains unclear.

Calm returned Monday to Cotonou, Benin's administrative center, after sporadic gunshots were heard across the city throughout Sunday, but there a heavy presence of soldiers remained on the streets.

Despite a history of coups following its independence from France in 1960, the tiny country has enjoyed uninterrupted democratic rule in the past two decades.

The attempted coup is the latest in a spate of coups that have rocked West Africa since 2020. Soldiers seized power last month in Guinea-Bissau after disputed election results, following Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Chad, Guinea and Gabon among the countries that have experienced similar takeovers in the past five years.

Soldiers ride in a military vehicle along a street amid an attempted coup in Cotonou Benin, Sunday Dec. 6, 2025. (AP Photo)

Soldiers ride in a military vehicle along a street amid an attempted coup in Cotonou Benin, Sunday Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo)

People on motorcycles pass by soldiers guarding a street amid an attempted coup in Cotonou Benin, Sunday Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo)

People gather near a roadway amid an attempted coup in Cotonou, Benin, Sunday Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo)

FILE - Benin's President Patrice Talon attends a meeting with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva at Planalto presidential palace in Brasilia, Brazil, on May 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres, File)