#FIFAworldcupflashback: Zaire (now DR Congo) became the third African country to participate in the FIFA World Cup



In 1974, Zaire (now DR Congo) became the third African country to participate in the FIFA World Cup- but they had a tournament to forget.

About three months before the World Cup, they had emerged AFCON champions after beating Zambia in the final. And after they sealed their World Cup qualification, the then president Mobutu Sese Seko Kuku Ngbendu Wa Za Banga invited them to his residence and reportedly bought them all cars and houses.

Zaire's opening game was against Scotland which they lost 2-0. After the match, their match bonuses were reportedly withheld by the government.

The players were not happy with the development and refused to play in subsequent games. But after they were persuaded, they reluctantly agreed.

In their second game against Yugolasvia, they suffered one of the heaviest defeats in World Cup history, losing 9-0.

According to Zaire defender Mwepu Ilunga, President Mobutu threatened them after the match and warned them that if they lost by four goals in the last game against Brazil, none of them would return home.

They ended up losing 3-0 to Brazil. In that game, while Brazil's Rivelino was preparing to take a free kick, Zaire's Mwepu Ilunga kicked the ball far away, hoping to get sent off in an act of protest, but he only got a yellow card.

Zaire's head coach Blagoje Vidinić, who was from Yugoslavia, didn't return to Zaire after the tournament but went straight back to his country.

The Zaire players reportedly never got paid and the government stopped funding the national side. Also, they were not permitted to leave the country- and this hindered their prospects of moving to European clubs, with the offers that came in after the World Cup.

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