Football - DR Congo: A pedo-criminal system still in place

"It’s a really fanatical country in terms of football, so all the young people who come to this field aspire to become professionals. It is through this opportunity that some malicious leaders take advantage of it to be able to sell them the dream that in Europe it happens in the same way, that players have to suffer from groping or simply sleep with managers or coaches in order to have their place.”

In an exciting interview on Foot Podcast Stories, Mulumbu was first questioned about the pedocrime scandal revealed in 2022 by Sport News Africa, which notably led to the 20-year suspension by FIFA of all football activities of Jonathan Bukabakwa for child abuse.

"Some young players came to see me to ask if things were like this in Europe as well"

Setting the context, the former captain then details how he became aware of these practices by signing with FC Saint-Eloi Lupopo.

 "I had heard about it but first of all, I wanted to have checks. When, on my own team, a player whose name I will unfortunately not mention because there have been investigations and it’s quite sensitive for him because he is still a football player, came to tell me that he had suffered from fondling, that some coaches and managers had demanded to sleep in order to be able to play.

That’s when I made the decision to be able to testify. We had a meeting with FIFPro. I had also brought evidence and messages that I had been able to relay, but it is a serious reality; unfortunately, it is a reality that exists in Congo and other African countries. I think it’s been going on for a long time and this phenomenon is growing more and more. The more we have Cristiano Ronaldo or Messi, the more we also want to become new Mbappé, so it inevitably attracts covetousness and malicious people behind them sell this dream that we absolutely must go through this passage, by these practices, to be able to succeed.

What outraged me the most, some young players came to see me to ask if it was also happening like that in Europe. I told them:

 'It’s inconceivable... ’ I was quite shocked to see that we could have evidence very easily, messages from coaches to players, photos, videos, it was very easy to investigate [...] I don’t think FIFA does that kind of work because they are still far away. When you’re far from a conflict, often you care a little less.”

Sloppy investigations and predators at large
By a long statement, the FC Saint-Eloi Lupopo reacted by indignant remarks speaking of "unfounded and false statements". To clear their customs, the club mentions "that one of our former coaches was subject to an investigation by the FECOFA, suspended, then cleared for lack of proof".



A reference to the preventive suspension of six coaches, including Bertin Maku, who had also fled the country for a time at the time of the revelations. Nevertheless, the latter was never "cleared" since the federation has in fact never conducted a thorough investigation on the same basis as the Congolese justice.

This laxity therefore allows several coaches to continue their practices without any problem despite cases like Guy-Roger Limolo, who had found a job at FC Renaissance du Congo, or Donga Epapa Cedric aka 'Moyindo', who was asking a 16-year-old on Facebook to see his sex to know if he "is a diamond or not [...] He’s fat, that’s why you think it’s a diamond?"

After a few exchanges, Moyindo reminded the teenager that he must receive "his dose" and that he should not get a big head because his sex would be "diamond". No follow-up has been given by the FECOFA and FIFA, which only suspended a coach for twenty years, Jonathan Bukabakwa says ‘Messi’ who had already been imprisoned in Makala prison in the past for pedophilia.

«Sacrifices [...] Either blood, or by giving your buttocks»
Alerted since December 2020 on the occasion of the U20 AFCON qualification tournament for the UNIFFAC zone (Union of Central African Football Federations) held in Equatorial Guinea, the federation never made any provision except for preventive and ephemeral sanctions at the time of the publication of the scandal two years later.

Former international Papy Kimoto, who was then a member of the technical team for the youth selections, had nevertheless alerted Vice-President Theo Binamungu. 

"I challenged him in front of almost all the staff members by asking him to do something because it’s too much. Children and some players suffered from this abuse. I talked to him about it, but what was done? Nothing, it continues.”

Threatened by his public speaking, Kimoto has always accepted his words. 

"No one wants to solve this problem, no one wants to talk about it, but it is necessary."

 This position is all the more important at a time when the Leopards have managed to qualify for the second World Cup in their history, attracting an impressive popular and political enthusiasm.

As a king sport, Congolese football is confronted with another reality that everyone prefers to look elsewhere, from the communes of Kinshasa to the national youth selections, even though the facts have even been recorded at the international level.

 "FIFPRO is aware of the extremely serious complaints from many footballers in the Democratic Republic of Congo," 

the world players' union told Sport News Africa.

 "These complaints are accompanied by evidence including audio and explicit written messages where they are asked to provide sexual benefits in exchange for playing time. Such brazen demands suggest that those who seek to abuse players believe they can act with impunity and without fear of being held accountable.”

Three and a half years later, the same impunity still prevails and does not prevent the authors of WhatsApp audios asking "sacrifices" to minors, "either blood or by giving buttocks," to walk behind the scenes of Congolese football without experiencing any trouble.