Congo has created a stir in the sports world by defeating Portugal in their first match. After fifty-two years, the African country is playing in the main stage of the tournament. Congo went into the game as a very weak team against a strong team like Portugal. Everyone thought they would give up easily. But the Congolese players fight very bravely and Portugal is only a C‘He let me do it. But Congolese athletes have faced tougher battles before on this big competition stage. This time, life has come to the field.
This horrible history goes back to 1974. For the second time, Congo participated in the biggest game in the world. At that time, of course, the country was called Zaire. One about the Congo game“First, I have to mention the former ruler of the country, Mobutu Sese Seko. He was one of the most brutal dictators on the African continent. When Mobutu came to power in 1965, Congo was in the midst of a civil war. He used sports as his weapon to unite the people of the country and spent a lot of money on it. He wanted to forget about Congo as a powerful country. For him, the field was a way to show his power.
Congo was a quick success in the African sporting world. They have won the continental title twice and entered major world tournaments. But their dreams are shattered in this big competition. Despite playing well against Scotland in the first match, they lost 2 nil. But the ruler Mobutu accepted the defeat of his party‘He wasn’t ready to go. He immediately stopped paying the players. The Congolese players also decided not to participate in the next game in protest. The ruler called the captain of the party and abused him harshly. The behavior of the Head of State has disappointed the entire party. Despite not wanting to, they played the next game and lost to Yugoslavia by a huge margin of nine to nil.
Seeing the bad performance of his favorite team, Mbutu went straight to the players’ rest room. He gave a stern warning to the defeated team. He clarified that if there are more than three in the next match, C‘If he loses by 100,000, no one can return to his country. They even threaten to block their way out of their habitats. In the next match against Brazil, the Congolese players really had their lives in their hands. They had only one goal in mind, to save the goal at least with their lives, or their lives would end. Eighteen years after the horrific experience they eventually lost 3-0 to Brazil, Congolese defender Mpeu Ilunga opened up. He said Brazil had a chance to score unhindered with a three-nil lead. One more goal from that advantage would have ended the life of the whole team. So he did not think of breaking the rules of the game. Ilunga flicked the ball away before the Brazilian could hit it. He was given a stern warning on the field for this, but this punishment allowed the entire team to return home. At that time, people thought that the Congolese players did not know the rules of the game. But in reality the life and death of the whole team depends on that one injury. Even after returning home, the life of the players was very difficult. They were cut off from all financial aid and ordered never to leave the country. This shuts them down forever to play in other countries.