Video: Lumumba returns…DRC icon makes first World Cup appearance

Congolese fan Michel Kuka Mbuladinga, known as “the living Lumumba”, was present in the stands of the Guadalajara Stadium to watch his country’s match against Colombia.

and:The Colombian national team qualified for the 32nd round of the 2026 World Cup After a 1-0 win over the Democratic Republic of Congo on Wednesday morning, coach Sébastien Desabre’s side will face Uzbekistan for a chance to qualify for the finals.

Mboladinga missed the Democratic Republic of Congo’s World Cup opener, which ended in a 1-1 draw with Portugal.

Mboladinga posted videos on social media to confirm his arrival in Mexico on Monday night, having been unable to travel to the United States for the first game because US authorities require a 21-day quarantine in a third country for travelers from Ebola-affected countries.

“Live Lumumba” arrived at the Guadalajara Stadium in a mini-parade at the invitation of FIFA, who wanted to host him after the first game, to continue his unique tradition, which he became famous for at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, where he wears a formal suit, tie and glasses, and stands in statues for 9 minutes without hand glasses. the late leader Patrice Lumumba in the capital Kinshasa, a symbol of the country’s independence… from Belgium in 1960 and the first prime minister of the Congo before he was overthrown and executed in 1961.

Mboladinga caused widespread controversy at the last Africa Cup of Nations when After being excluded from the Congo national team, he was mocked by the Algerian striker Mohamed El Amin Amoura.This prompted an official apology from the Algerian federation and the player himself.