Reason why AFCON fan stands nonetheless for 90 minutes in weird show of help
DR Congo’s matches at the Africa Cup of Nations have seen one of their supporters stand still while raising his right arm in the air until the full-time whistle
DR Congo supporter Michel Kuka Mboladinga has stood motionless throughout all his country’s group-stage games at the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, with fans watching the tournament asking ‘why?’
The fan stands still from the first whistle until full-time, his right arm raised, wearing a yellow suit jacket, a grey button-down shirt, and bright red trousers. He also has a red pocket square and a sky blue tie that matches their national flag.
Mboladinga is nicknamed “Lumumba” after the country’s independence leader Patrice Lumumba. That is who his stance pays tribute to, striking the same pose as a statue of the late politician in their capital, Kinshasa.
Lumumba was elected as the first Prime Minister of the Republic after it gained independence from Belgium in 1960, having led the Congolese National Movement (MNC) for two years prior. He held office for barely two months before an army mutiny began the Congo Crisis, leading to a coup, then Lumumba’s capture, torture and eventual execution by the state.
UBC Television Uganda commentators explained the tribute during DR Congo’s match against Botswana. One of their commentators said when Mboladinga appeared on screen: “There’s a man who pays tribute to the late Patrice Lumumba.
“Stands that way the entire match, motionless. It’s a very glowing homage that he pays.”
The fan stayed in that pose during all three of their group stage games, including their opening match against Benin, which lasted over 100 minutes, including added time. DR Congo eventually won 1-0 and followed that up with a 1-1 draw against the 2021 winners, Senegal.
They then beat Botswana in their final group game, winning 3-0. However, they finished second in Group D because Senegal had a superior goal difference, having won 3-0 against Benin and Botswana.
DR Congo now face Algeria in the round of 16, who qualified for the knockout stages with a game to spare. They have also yet to concede a goal during the tournament in Morocco, keeping clean sheets against Burkina Faso and Sudan.
Sebastien Desabre, the head coach of DR Congo, said after beating Botswana: “Our first objective was to qualify for the next round, and we are satisfied that we achieved that. We also scored five goals and conceded only one, which is good for me.
“Now we will recover and regain our energy and think about the next match, whoever the opponent is in the next round. Everything has changed now that we are in the direct elimination stage
“We performed well against Cameroon and Nigeria in the last World Cup qualifiers. We can play against these opponents, but it will be difficult because the Algerian team is very good. It will undoubtedly be a beautiful match, and we will try to be good to face them.”
