Zaire 1974 World Cup dream ends in farce and fear

The image of Zaire’s Mwepu Ilunga bursting out of the defensive wall to kick the ball away before Brazil could take their free kick came to define the African nation’s sole World Cup appearance.

Yet while the sight of Ilunga smashing the ball upfield is rightly lauded as a hugely comic moment, the widespread misinterpretation of why he did it typified the many years African football was under-estimated.

On the face of it the popular notion that Ilunga didn’t know the rules is frankly patronising. Ilunga as a professional footballer had presumably seen a free-kick or two over his career. In fact, he’d already defended some in that game. But with the lack of any plausible alternative explanation, it was tempting to think had he just wondered: “Is there any reason why I can’t just kick the ball before they do?”

Ilunga’s ground-breaking kick for time overshadows the question of why Zaire switched from green to yellow shorts to play a team in yellow?

But the alternative reasons – that he was trying to waste time or get himself sent off – would only add up is if there was a back story that made him doing so logical.

As it turns out, there was quite a back story.

Zaire, now known as the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), was in 1974 under the dictatorial rule of Mobutu Sese Seko. Having seized power of the DRC in 1965 and, after obviously deciding the Democratic bit of the name was too much of a stretch, he changed the country’s name to Zaire in 1971. Mobutu’s totalitarian regime remained in place until its overthrow in 1997.

While they arrived on the global stage in West Germany as underdogs, Zaire had a pedigree having won the African Nations Cup for a second time in March that year

During this period Zaire did not lack ambition and they invested sport as a key enabler to raise its profile. Notably, Muhammed Ali and George Foreman came to Kinshasa for their ‘Rumble in the Jungle’ in October 1974 - a deal brokered by Mobutu, if paid for by the people of Zaire.

By then, the investment in football in Zaire was already paying dividend. Zaire became the first Sub-Saharan African team to appear at the World Cup in 1974, and only the second African nation to make the finals after Morocco.

While they arrived on the global stage in West Germany as underdogs, Zaire had a pedigree having won the African Nations Cup for a second time in March that year.

However, investment brings expectations of results. And while Zaire’s defeat to Scotland in the first game was probably par for the course, their 9-0 defeat in the second against Yugoslavia was not.

It is here however that context is key. Because while Zaire’s players had been rewarded by Mobutu with cars and houses for reaching the finals, they had discovered they were not going to benefit from the bonuses on offer during the tournament.

Government officials had purloined the players’ bonuses and Zaire’s players threatened to boycott the match in protest.

This goes some way to explaining Zaire’s poor showing against Yugoslavia, though not the decision to substitute goalkeeper Kazadi Mwamba after 21 minutes. While Zaire were three down already, Mwamba was not at fault for any of the goals and it was not obvious that the answer was to replace him with Tubilandu Ndimbi – who at 5ft 6in offered even less of a barrier in goal. That was underlined when Yugoslavia scored a fourth a minute later.

Two matches in and Zaire were already out and had recorded the heaviest defeat in World Cup history – at least until El Salvador turned up in 1982. It was at this point Mobutu demanded a response from the team or they would suffer the consequences. In fairness, Mobutu set the surprisingly reasonable tipping point of not losing the Brazil game by more than three goals – Mobutu may have been a dictator, but he still appreciated Brazil’s impressive World Cup record.

Ilunga as a professional footballer had presumably seen a free-kick or two over his career. In fact, he’d already defended some in that game

Coincidentally – or otherwise – Brazil themselves needed to within by three goals to qualify for the next stage. This added to suggestions the game could have been fixed – given the 3-0 outcome suited both sides. It is an explanation that fits the naked eye watching of the restored Mwamba’s seemingly improbable dive over the ball for Brazil’s third goal – though given Mwamba appeared to be channelling an early-David James approach throughout the game, it was not entirely out of keeping with his hit/miss performance.

However, it is against this backdrop that Ilunga took matters into his own hand and ran out of the wall to smash the ball up field. He is quoted as both saying he did this to waste time and to try and get sent off as a protest.

Whichever it was, the players were not to come home as heroes, and if they avoided the ultimate sanction from Mobutu, none were to benefit from the riches of reaching the tournament.

Listen To The Podcast

One from our early days as we looked at this Zaire story as part of a double-header with the Australia side that made the 2006 World Cup.

How We Ranked Them

We have five categories of greatness from our five-star All-Time Greats category at the top to our one-star Blinkered Greats category at the bottom. No prizes for guessing, Zaire came in as *Blinkered Greats

This was tough given that in 1974 Zaire would only pick players who played club football in Zaire, so it’s quite a big crowbar for this one - made possible by Oxford United’s January transfer window signing of Christ Makosso. He comes from the Republic of Congo, not to be confused with Zaire successor the DRC, but which does at least neighbour it - which about as close as we are going to get.