Football - DR Congo: national team coaches finally get contracts

In DR Congo, the coaches in charge of the various national football teams could soon all be receiving salaries. Sports Minister Didier Budimbu has set in motion a process of signing contracts with the Congolese government.

A commission has been set up to look at the practical arrangements for getting the national team coaches and the members of their technical staffs to sign contracts that match their duties. "Minister Didier Budimbu wants to value the national coaches; that is why he has set up this commission, which has to examine the specific needs of each category of team so that every coach, and indeed the members of the technical staffs, can sign contracts with the Congolese government. Not all categories have the same programmes and each will receive contract benefits in proportion to the specifics of their category ", said Alain Makengo, adviser to the Sports Minister in charge of elite sport, to Sport News Africa.

Guy Bukasa signed, a first for the U20s

Guy Bukasa, coach of the U20 national team, was the first to sign a contract with Minister Didier Budimbu. It is the first time in history that a coach of any of DR Congo's youth teams has been able to sign a contract with the Congolese government. The signing came just a few days before DR Congo begin their U20 AFCON campaign in Egypt. It is something of a boost for the whole squad as they look to get a good result at the tournament.

A new contract for Otis Ngoma

After Guy Bukasa, Otis Ngoma, coach of the A' national team, signed a contract with Didier Budimbu. It is a new contract for him, following the previous one signed with former minister Serge Chembo Nkonde, which was never honoured.

Since signing that contract in 2022, Otis Ngoma has never received a salary. He has had to make do with the match bonuses for games played by the DR Congo A' team. The situation was down to the contract never being validated by the Budget and Finance ministers, who never put their signatures to it.

That should change for all these new contracts. "The minister wanted to see to what extent all these contracts need to be signed, and to find out the specifics of each category so that the government, and the finance ministry in particular, can take all the necessary steps to make sure all these coaches are paid. Since the members of the technical staffs will also have to be paid, we are waiting for the lists from the Federation to determine which members of the various staffs also need to sign, to support the coaches in the payment process", said Alain Makengo.

After the men's A' and U20 teams, the coaches of the men's U17 side and those of all the women's national teams should also sign their contracts.