CHAN 2024: How can DR Congo avoid another debacle?

For the seventh time in their history, DR Congo will play in the CHAN finals. The Leopards qualified for CHAN 2024 by knocking out Chad, thanks to a win in the second leg in Kinshasa (3-1), after a draw (1-1) in the first leg.

But qualification is no guarantee of a good showing from the Congolese, who are still smarting from a debacle in this competition, going out in the group stage without scoring a single goal at the edition in Algeria.

Better preparation

After his side's qualification, DR Congo coach Otis Ngoma offered some solutions to help DR Congo restore their image at the CHAN, a tournament they have already won twice (2009, 2016).

According to Otis Ngoma, a minimum of two weeks' preparation is needed before the competition starts. "The competition starts on 1 February and to be ready you need to prepare for at least 15 days before the first match. The competition lasts a month and everything has to be planned in advance. We must have the necessary means to get there. In Algeria everything was difficult, we didn't even have a decent training pitch before the competition ", he said.

The advantage of a Ligue 1 with regular matches

Unlike at the last edition of the CHAN, when DR Congo had to put together a squad of players short of match fitness because of the irregular scheduling of league fixtures, this time coach Otis Ngoma is fortunate to have players in rhythm, with a league that has run smoothly through the first leg of its regular phase.

The Congolese coach believes this can also make the difference. "The advantage this year is that we have players who are competing and playing regularly, unlike in Algeria where we had players who hadn't played for a month or two. For the next CHAN we will keep following the league so that we have the best possible players."

Working in step with LINAFOOT

The arrival of the CHAN could well disrupt the league calendar, with clubs supplying a large number of players to the A' national team, such as AS Maniema Union, Tout Puissant Mazembe and FC Saint Éloi Lupopo, set to be penalised. These clubs could therefore ask for their matches to be postponed because of their depleted squads.

Otis Ngoma is calling for an agreement with the LINAFOOT Management Committee, so that there is a calendar allowing clubs whose players are selected to release them to the national team, giving the Leopards every chance of achieving the best possible result at the next CHAN.