Illunga Mwepu

Zaire's disastrous World Cup campaign has come to be defined by one man and one memorable moment: defender Illunga Mwepu and THAT free-kick. In the closing minutes of Zaire's final game against Brazil, the reigning World Champions were awarded a free-kick some thirty yards from the African's goal. In Zaire's previous two games they had shown little idea of how to line up a defensive wall, with players frequently encroaching before the kick had been taken. Against Brazil, however, Mwepu took this one step further by breaking from the defensive ranks at the sound of the referee's whistle and, to the amazement of everyone, hoofing the ball downfield. He was then booked for his actions and responded by bowing to the applauding crowd!
What appeared to be Mwepu's lack of knowledge of the basic rules of the game was seen as symbolic of the Zairian team's naivety and that of African football in general. The incident has since appeared on numerous football outtake DVDs, was voted the fourth most memorable World Cup moment ever in a 2002 poll of Britain's Channel Four viewer and, most remarkably, sixth place in poll conducted by Brazil's leading sports channel in 2006. The incident also featured in 1998 on the Phoenix from the Flames section of Frank Skinner and David Baddiel's ITV show, Fantasy World Cup, in which famous moments from football history are re-created. The match programme from the Zaire vs Brazil game has also become a collector's item, fetching as much as £700 at auction.

Illunga Mwepu recreates the free-kick

However, the truth behind Mwepu's indiscretion reveals a more sinister side to Zairian football, politics and everyday life at this time. "Before the Yugoslavia match (which Zaire lost 0-9) we learnt that we were not going to be paid, so (initially) we refused to play," recalls Mwepu. "After the match, he (former Zaire leader President Mobutu)sent his guards to threaten us. They closed the hotel to all journalists and said that if we lost by more than three goals to Brazil, none of us would be able to return home." In the light of this information, coupled with the fact that Brazil led 3-0 at the time of the free-kick, Mwepu's actions are completely understandable. "I panicked and kicked the ball away before he (Rivelino) had taken it," he reveals. "Most of the Brazil players, and the crowd too, thought it was hilarious. I shouted, 'You bastards!' at them because they didn't understand the pressure we were under."
Another explanation that has been put forward for Mwepu's actions is that the Zairians had been taught by their Belgian counterparts (the former Congo had gained independence from Belgium in 1960) that all free-kicks became a 'free-ball' if not taken within three seconds of the referee blowing their whistle. Indeed, this is thought to have been a common misconception throughout African football at this time.
Ironically, Mwepu shouldn't have been playing in the game at all. In the previous match against Yugoslavia, Zaire's star striker, Mulamba Ndaye, had been sent off for kicking the referee and was subsequently suspended for the Brazil encounter. However, it was actually Mwepu who committed the offence. I have one small reservation (about Ndaye's sending off)," confirmed Zaire's Yugoslav coach, Blagoje Vidinic. "It wasn't number 13 who kicked the referee, but number two, Illunga Mwepu."
Speaking to the BBC in 2002, Mwepu was still understandably upset at the treatment he and his teammates received from his country's authorities: "I am proud, and still am, to have represented Black and Central Africa at the World Cup. But we had the erroneous belief that we would return home from the World Cup as millionaires......Look at me now. I'm living like a tramp. When we arrived home, our contracts were torn up and coaching roles never happened. I heard it said that Mobutu believed we'd set back the perception of African football 20 years......If I had my time again, I'd have worked harder at becoming a farmer."