LAGOS: Nigeria&#39;s football coach has accused the Democratic Republic of Congo of practising &quot;voodoo&quot; after his squad&#39;s hopes of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup ended in a penalty shootout loss in the African play-offs final.&nbsp;DR Congo and Nigeria drew 1-1 after extra time in the tie in Rabat on Sunday and the central Africans won 4-3 on penalties to book a place in inter-confederation play-offs in Mexico next March.&nbsp;In his post-match remarks to journalists, coach Eric Chelle said a member of the DR Congo team &quot;did some voodoo, every time, every time, every time&quot;.&nbsp;&quot;That is why I was a bit nervous,&quot; said former Mali international Chelle, who took charge of Nigeria in January.&nbsp;Chelle had admitted prior to the match that it was going to &quot;be very difficult in Morocco&quot;.&nbsp;Using hand gestures, he said he saw a DR Congo member waving his hand as if sprinkling or shaking something. &quot;I don&#39;t know if it&#39;s water or something like that.&quot;&nbsp;In a nervy shootout in which four spot-kicks were saved and another missed, DR Congo captain Chancel Mbemba defied a bottle thrown toward him and torrential rain to convert the winning penalty as his country seek a return to the global showpiece after a lengthy absence.&nbsp;Nigeria, an African football giant, lie 19 places above DR Congo in the world rankings and were pre-match favourites.&nbsp;The Super Eagles failed to qualify for the second World Cup in a row. They had not missed back-to-back editions since their debut in 1994.&nbsp;While Nigeria have been regular participants at the World Cup, the sole appearance by the Congolese came in 1974 when the mineral-rich central African country was called Zaire.&nbsp;President Bola Tinubu urged the squad to &quot;put behind them the loss&quot; and to focus on preparing for the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, which runs from December 21 to January 18.&nbsp;&quot;We must now plug all the loopholes. Our football administrators, players ... must go back to the drawing board,&quot; said Tinubu in a statement.

Football

Nigeria’s coach Eric Chelle blamed alleged “voodoo” after a tense penalty-shootout loss ended Nigeria’s 2026 World Cup hopes. Underdog Congo advanced, while President Tinubu urged Nigeria to regroup ahead of the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations.

Nigeria coach blames 'voodoo' after World Cup hopes crushed

MIAMI: Lionel Messi wants to play for Argentina in next year&#39;s World Cup, but he says he will listen to his body before deciding whether he can make that dream come true.&nbsp;The 38-year-old striker for Inter Miami of MLS led Argentina to the 2022 World Cup title and yearns to be on the field when the &quot;Albiceleste&quot; defend the crown next year in North America.&nbsp;Eight-time Ballon d&#39;Or winner Messi told NBC News in an interview broadcast on Monday that he will see next year how his body feels before deciding on whether or not he can play in the World Cup co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada.&nbsp;&quot;It&#39;s something extraordinary to be able to be in a World Cup and I would love to,&quot; said Messi, who turns 39 next June.&nbsp;&quot;I would like to be there, to be well and be an important part of helping my national team, if I am there.&nbsp;&quot;And I&#39;m going to assess that on a day-to-day basis when I start preseason next year with Inter and see if I can really be 100%, if I can be useful to the group, to the national team, and then make a decision.&quot;&nbsp;Messi, who has been playing professionally since 2004, wants the chance for one more star turn on football&#39;s biggest stage.&nbsp;&quot;I&#39;m really eager because it&#39;s a World Cup. We&#39;re coming off winning the last World Cup and being able to defend it on the field again is spectacular because it&#39;s always a dream to play with the national team, especially in official competitions.&quot;&nbsp;Messi, who debuted with Barcelona in La Liga at age 17, joined Paris Saint-Germain in 2021 and moved to MLS in 2023.&nbsp;&quot;The truth is that I like everything about living here,&quot; Messi said of Miami.&nbsp;&quot;I spent a lot of time in Barcelona, which for me is an extraordinary city, where I grew up and had many spectacular moments, and which we miss a lot.&nbsp;&quot;But Miami is a city that allows us to live very well, that makes us enjoy life, that allows us to be calm, that allows the kids to be themselves and live day to day.&quot;&nbsp;Messi has 195 appearances for the Argentine national team, scoring 114 goals.

Lionel Messi, 38, says he hopes to play for Argentina in the 2026 World Cup but will decide after assessing his fitness next year. The Inter Miami star led Argentina to 2022 glory.

Articles tagged with "2026 WORLD CUP"

Nigeria coach blames 'voodoo' after World Cup hopes crushed

Lionel Messi keeps 2026 FIFA World Cup decision on hold