DR Congo's 1998 AFCON Leopards demand national recognition
The 1998 Leopards say they have never received anything from the Congolese government despite winning bronze in Burkina Faso.
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This is a Leopards generation that African football history will surely never forget. The bronze medallists at the 1998 AFCON pulled off the biggest comeback in the tournament's history, hauling back a 3-goal deficit in the space of 3 minutes in the third-place play-off against hosts Burkina Faso.
A feeling of abandonment
Although they are still remembered by plenty of people across the continent, these Leopards feel their country has never acknowledged their achievement.
From taking part in the competition to their return home, everything was difficult, says Bijou Kisombe. "We were working in difficult conditions even during the preparation for this AFCON. We trained on bad pitches where cows even wandered across. And during the competition we hardly received any bonuses. Bonuses could arrive, but certain people blocked them or gave us just a small part of the real amount, while our opponents were getting good bonuses," lamented the former defender.
No government bonus to this day
According to Bijou Kisombe, despite the bronze medal they won, the Leopards were not received by the authorities on their return. "It was a brewery company that organised the parade that took us from the airport to the Stade des Martyrs. There was nobody from the Federation or the government, and once we got to the stadium, everyone had to sort out their own way home," he said on the airwaves of Top Congo FM.
An appeal to the Congolese government
The 1998 Leopards are now calling, first of all, for their post-tournament bonus, which according to Bijou Kisombe was never paid. "We received no bonus from the government or the Federation after our AFCON. But we know that CAF gives teams a prize pot after the AFCON. As for us, even the prize money earned after the AFCON, we don't know where it went, because we received nothing," the former AS V.club player said with alarm.
As well as their post-AFCON bonus, the 1998 Leopards are also seeking the same recognition as their elders of 1968 and 1974, who won the AFCON and, in the case of the 1974 side, played at the World Cup. That generation currently receives a sum of money almost regularly at the end of each month. "May the government think of us too, of the efforts we made and above all the history written during this 1998 AFCON, which forever etched our country's name in the history of the AFCON. Give us our rights back," said Bijou Kisombe.
And to press their case more effectively, the 1998 Leopards have all banded together, approaching the authorities in a bid to secure this national recognition.