DR Congo are preparing for their first World Cup in over half a century, while a war is going on back home.The smiles of a nation, making their first appearance at a World Cup finals since 1974, guard against the tears of a nation stricken by poverty, problematic healthcare, and limited access to food.
Millions have been displaced as a result of a decades-long conflict, particularly affecting the east of the country, as armed forces fight over the country’s natural minerals and resources.
However long DR Congo last in the tournament, attention will turn from a domestic humanitarian crisis to support the Leopards. It’s a responsibility that those within the DR Congo camp wear with pride.”I’m not a politician, but the joy that I can bring to Congo is through football,” defender Axel Tuanzebe tells Sky Sports.
“For Congo, it’s all about trying to take the right steps forward and thinking about how I can affect that personally. I can affect it through my platform of football.
“That was the biggest point for me of playing for Congo. I think a lot of the political issues we’ve had in the country stem from how the country has been exploited over the years because it’s rich in minerals.
“The world shouldn’t be like this. I think we have enough intelligence, enough resources around the world to ensure that everybody lives a comfortable life. But it’s the world we live in.”So all I can do is put my two cents in there as a footballer, and hopefully it can help make a movement or spark a change into a better life and a better world. It does feel like a responsibility.”
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DR Congo clinched qualification for their first World Cup since 1974 with a 1-0 win over Jamaica in the qualifying play-offs
Tuanzebe is already a national hero. As are his international team-mates, who have set ablaze a new trail for a nation of 116 million people. Tuanzebe, though, scored the goal against Jamaica to turn 116 million World Cup dreams into a reality.Having spent just two years representing DR Congo, he’s already seen the fruits of his nation’s recent successes and its impact on its people.”I remember the first time I came back from my first camp and just driving through the roads, making our way to the hotel,” Tuanzebe recalls.”Some of the places you see and you see now how people live, it was difficult to see. I just think people shouldn’t be living like this, especially in…
2026-06-16 12:00:00
