The Captain

In a series entitled, 'captains,' Shoot magazine interviewed all sixteen World Cup skippers in the build-up to the 1974 tournament. Zaire's Mantantu Kidumu was the sixth to be put on the spot in the April 6th, 1974 edition.

SHOOT: It's a safe bet, Kidumu, that most people don't really know where Zaire is, let alone anything about their soccer team. Can you tell us something about both?

KIDUMU: With pleasure. Zaire was formerly Congo-Kinshasa, which was the republic formed out of the biggest part of the old Belgian Congo. It's on the West side of Africa - with just one outlet to the sea around the River Congo. But you'll find it easily enough on a map of Africa, for Zaire is not too far short of one thousand miles square. I'm told that your own country could be fitted into the same space ten times.

SHOOT: So the population must be pretty big too, Kidumu....?

KIDUMU: Around 25 million at a guess, not much you would think for a country the size of ours, but then the terrain is very unfriendly, and for many poor people it is still a struggle to find work and get proper medical treatment outside of the big towns.

SHOOT: Does this mean that very few people find time for football?

KIDUMU: On the contrary, it is our big national sport, and everyone is interested in it in one way or another. The kids, of course, play barefooted, and their basic skills these days are really remarkable. They lack tactical ability - that goes without saying - but as raw material for a good coach, they are second to none.

SHOOT: And talking of good coaches, your National Team Manager, Blagoje Vidinic, is reputedly one of the best.

KIDUMU: He certainly is. When Mr Vidinic joined us, some three years ago, the idea of actually getting to the World Cup Finals never entered our heads. I suppose we looked on it as a remote possibility, having done well in the African Nations Cup. But Morocco were favourites again in most people's books.

SHOOT: Did Vidinic change your tactics very much when he arrived?

KIDUMU: I think he was rather horrified by what he saw, by our lack of proper training and method on the field. We had some fine players, but they simply didn't know what to do to make the best use of their skills. It was not really our fault, I might add: We had seen only our fellow Africans play, and we did not appreciate that the standards and styles were all that different elsewhere. Mr Vidinic, of course, had coached all over the world, so he knew from his experience what was good and what was bad.

SHOOT: Did the Zaire F.A have any reservations about appointing a foreigner, and one who had worked for Morocco's team previously?

KIDUMU: No. Why should they? The object was to get our team up to scratch in order to qualify for the World Cup Finals, and it didn't matter if the man was Yugoslavian, Greek or Chinese so long as he could do the job. And we knew Mr Vidinic could, because he'd already proved it with Morocco in Mexico, where they did very well. They got a draw with Bulgaria, and were leading against West Germany until the last few minutes of the game.

SHOOT: How easy was qualifying this time?

KIDUMU: It wasn't easy because of the enormous travelling involved, and the hostile reception one usually got. You see, fans are so partisan in Africa, they tend to get carried away with their enthusiasm, and some dangerous situations occur at times. We had a very tough first game away to Togo, for instance, which ended in a goal-less draw. The referee was very unpopular with the crowd for not giving the home side a penalty. But we won the second-leg easily enough, by 4-0 if my memory is correct.

SHOOT: Whom did you play next?

KIDUMU: Cameroon, and what a tough match that was. We each won 1-0 on the other's ground, curiously enough, and Zaire were lucky enough to win the toss to decide who should stage the play-off. We won this third match 2-0, thanks largely to a great performance by one of our forwards, Kibonge. After that, our tie with the Ivory Coast was relatively easy. We got a draw in Abidjan, their capital, and won the second-leg in Kinshasha without too much trouble.

SHOOT: And that took you into the final Group?

KIDUMU: Yes, to meet Morocco and Zambia. You can imagine our delight when Zambia beat Morocco, whom we felt were our more dangerous opponents, by 4-0 in their opening match. We managed to beat Zambia twice when it came to our turn, so we were very confident by the time we got Morocco in Kinshasa for the decisive match. Perhaps a little too confident as it turned out, because it was not until the second-half that we scored, and eventually went on to win 3-0.

SHOOT: Wasn't there some controversy about your first goal?

KIDUMU: Yes, because the goalkeeper was charged into the net holding the ball. But it was absolutely shoulder to shoulder, and the referee gave a goal, so we saw no reason for the Moroccans to protest as much as they did.

SHOOT: The Moroccans actually lodged a protest with FIFA, didn't they?

KIDUMU: I believe they sent them a film of the match, and demanded that it should be replayed. In the meantime they refused to meet us in the second-leg, but we sent a team to Morocco anyway, to show FIFA that we had been willing to play if allowed. You see, although we had already qualified, with so many protests circulating from Chile and Russia and then from Morocco, we didn't want to take any chances.

SHOOT: Who would you pick out, of your usual team, as the main architects of your success?

KIDUMU: It's been a team effort, so I'm reluctant to single anyone out. African football has had its individuals in the past, and the teamwork has been dreadful, so we are very proud of our team spirit.

SHOOT: Accepting that, Kidumu, but what about tactics. Do you have wingers, for example?

KIDUMU: Yes, two wingers, Kakoko and Mayanga. They are both very skilful and very fast, Kakoko especially.

SHOOT: Is the team very experienced - experienced enough to do well in the finals?

KIDUMU: I would say yes. We have four players - Kazadi, the goalkeeper; full-back Mukombo; outside-left Mayanga; and my vice-captain, Bwanga, who've been with team since 1967, which makes them very experienced indeed.

SHOOT: But won't they all be just a little afraid when they come out of the players' tunnel at Gelsenkirchen in West Germany to face, of all countries, Brazil?

KIDUMU: Afraid, yes just a little, but determined to play our best. I know that on paper we have no chance at all against Brazil, or Scotland, or Yugoslavia, but the underdogs can often spring a surprise in a World Cup.

SHOOT: Finally, Kidumu, we believe you've already done rather well out of the competition?

KIDUMU: Indeed we have. After we qualified, President Mobutu presented each one of us with a new house made of brick, a new car, and a holiday for us and our families in the United States. I don't know what he plans to give us if we win the World Cup, but if I'm asked, I'd be quite happy with the proceeds from a copper mine!