DR Congo: U20 and CHAN teams have been waiting for bonuses for over a year

Far from the princely conditions reserved for the national A team, with the famous controversy over the potential $1 million bonus per player, the other teams in the Democratic Republic of Congo do not enjoy the same treatment.

Apart from the former coach of the women's team, Hervé Happy, who had accumulated unpaid wages, the vast majority of coaches (and their staff) are not paid. Worse still, despite the commitment of the head of state, Félix Tshisekedi, to resolve the contractual situation of Congolese coaches (who did not really benefit from contracts compared to their European counterparts) in September 2022, only two of them have been able to officially sign a contract: Guy Bukasa and Otis Ngoma.

This is a real concern, given that the President of the Republic had personally instructed the then Minister of Sports, Serge Nkonde, to resolve this situation. Neither he, nor his successor (François Kabulo), nor the current minister, Didier Budimbu, have done so.

Salaries unpaid for several years

In addition to contractual concerns, Congolese coaches also suffer from unpaid wages, sometimes dating back several years. This is a very serious situation to which the Ministry of Sports has provided no response, even though a budget was allocated by the Ministry of Finance.

As for the players, their situation is hardly any better. The CHAN team, for example, has not received its fees for the November 2024 training camp, this year's training camp in Dubai, the qualification bonus for the CHAN finals, or the government bonus promised in the event of a victory against Angola in the CHAN (which was the case, 2-0).

The U20s have also not received their qualification bonus for the African Cup of Nations, nor the bonus promised for the match against South Africa.

The same goes for other youth categories and, of course, the women's team, the poor relation of a football system that focuses solely on the men's A team to the detriment of others, despite the budget allocated to Congolese football as a whole. One wonders where this money really is.