Prateek Tanmay
Last week, when the Democratic Republic of Congo played Colombia in a Group K match at Estadio Akron in Guadalajara, Mexico, in the stands on a small makeshift podium stood motionless a lean man; right hand raised, wearing a red slim-fit blazer, yellow shirt, tie and blue pants — the colours of the national flag.
Congo fan Michel Kuka Mboladinga drew attention for his pose, a tribute to DR Congo’s first democratically elected Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba, who was assassinated in 1961.
Forty-nine-year-old Mboladinga, whose nickname is ‘Lumumba Vea’ — meaning ‘Lumumba Lives’ — travelled as an official member of the Congo delegation for the FIFA World Cup at the insistence of current President Félix Tshisekedi.
However, after watching two games in Mexico, even as Congo progressed to the knockouts for the first time, his journey hit a roadblock when he was denied a US visa.
Congo supporter Michel Nkuka Mboladinga poses as a statue of the country’s assassinated independence hero Patrice Lumumba ahead of the World Cup Group K soccer match between Colombia and Congo in Zapopan, near Guadalajara, Mexico, Tuesday, June 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)
Plans to be at the Round of 16 game against England in Atlanta hang in the balance.
“Inspired by the need to give a patriotic boost to our “Leopards” team, I wanted to embody the figure of Lumumba in the stands. It started at local matches. I read extensively about his struggle. His speeches on dignity inspired me to adopt his fitted jacket, glasses, and hairstyle to create a powerful impact,” Mboladinga told The Indian Express from Mexico.
Nehru-Gandhi connection
Lumumba, Mboladinga said, drew inspiration from Indian leaders like Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru. “There were ties between Patrice Lumumba and Indian leaders like Jawaharlal Nehru or Mahatma Gandhi.”
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With erstwhile Belgian Congo under Belgian rule until 1960, Lumumba, co-founder of Mouvement National Congolais (MNC), became the first democratically elected Prime Minister following successful talks with Belgium. However, after a coup, he was captured and killed soon after.
DR Congo’s most famous fan, Lubumba was in the stands as the Leopards took on Colombia in the World Cup
A national hero 🇨🇩 #DRCongo #WorldCup #FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/DBCW4hUs5J
— Pan-Africa Football (@PanAfricaFooty) June 24, 2026
A year after Lumumba was assassinated, civil rights activist Malcolm X called him ‘the greatest black man who ever walked the African continent’. Mboladinga shares the sentiment. He has read books written by Lumumba and listened to his speeches.
“His speech at the Palace of the Nation in Léopoldville (currently Kinshasa) on June 30, 1960, where he said that the history of the Congo will not be written in Brussels or Paris, but here, at home, is an inspiration. That remained in my mind from my early years,” Mboladinga said.
As for the status of his US visa.
“The Congo ambassador to the USA has written to the authorities,” Mboladinga’s manager Hugues Basanga told this paper.
Congo supporter Michel Nkuka Mboladinga, poses as a statue of the country’s assassinated independence hero Patrice Lumumba ahead of the World Cup Group K soccer match between Colombia and Congo in Zapopan, near Guadalajara, Mexico, Tuesday, June 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
Mboladinga prepares beforehand to stand still for 90 minutes of a football game.
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The first time Mboladinga attended DR Congo matches wearing the colours of the Congo flag was last year during the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco. “The Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco was an intense spiritual experience. Standing with my arm raised amidst the cheers of fired-up fans made me forget my physical fatigue. The emotion and the sense of connection with the people were absolute. The first match was physically grueling — lasting the full 90 minutes was tough. I prepare with stretching and have developed intense mental focus,” Mboladinga said.
He works as an animator with local football club AS Vita back home but has become a well-known figure. In January, Mboladinga was given an SUV by President Tshisekedi. He is also on social media campaigns for a Chinese phone maker and a French telecommunications company. Life has changed for the better.
“My family was worried about the fatigue, but now they are my biggest supporters and lift me in prayer. I started as a cheerleader for the AS Vita, an experience that shaped me. Balancing club duties with traveling for the Leopards (Congo) requires discipline and work-life balance, but the national cause comes first,” says the fan.
With DR Congo seeing rising cases of Ebola, Mboladinga was placed in quarantine after he arrived in Mexico and missed the country’s opening match against Portugal in Houston. “The matches are intense. During the Ebola quarantines, I thought of our brothers in the East and reflected on the resilience of our people. Football unites us, and restores hope. My message to the world: Congo is standing tall,” Mboladinga said.
