In her wonderful film, Entre la coupe et l'election(Between the Cup and the Election) Monique Mbeka Phoba seeks to track down the surviving members of the famous Leopards 1974 team. Filmed in 2006 during DR Congo's first multiparty elections in forty-one years, it soon becomes clear that the players have endured very different fates. For example, defender Boba Lobilo is initially extremely reluctant to face the camera because of his impoverished surroundings, his wife revealing that she 'sells coal' to make ends meet. However, he later talks about his football career and plays alongside many of his former teammates in a veterans match refereed by Mulamba N'daye's fifth wife, Mama Agnes, who also gives a revealing interview about her relationship with the country's greatest striker.
In contrast to Lobilo, his teammate in West Germany, Mafu Kibonge, is running for political office and gives an outspoken and intriguing new insight into events surrounding the final World Cup match against Brazil, where the Zairian team had been threatened with not being allowed home if they lost by more than three goals: "At half-time (with Zaire trailing 1-0) the whole Brazilian delegation came to us. Then the trainer said to us: 'Right, to please the crowd, freeze your game. Don't attack. Freeze your game and it's over. See what you can do. So we did." With Brazil needing a three goal margin of victory to progress and eliminate Scotland, Kibonge seemingly hints at collusion, albeit with no monetary gain: "We got nothing. We did it for pleasure. Firstly, because the Scots treated us so badly. Secondly, they won because the referee cheated. Besides, we had to make them pay, so we did." Perhaps the film's most poignant moment is when Kibonge pleads on behalf of his less fortunate teammates to a fellow politician to fight for their needs. This was finally forthcoming last year when it was announced that members of the Zairian 1968 and 1974 African Cup of Nations winning teams, including the families of deceased players, would receive a monthly payment of $500 in recognition of their achievements.
The issue of money and the part that it played in Zaire's World Cup failure is seemingly never far away from the players' thoughts. "My best memory in football is the World Cup," says ex-Leopards defender Illunga Mwepu. "We fought for a single place. It wasn't easy. My worst footballing memory is that I regret that we neglected God in our sport. If we recognised Him, as we do now, it would have been much better. We should have forgiven. We were angry over money matters. We lost 9-0. It was ridiculous. Afterwards, we thought about it, but it was too late. That is my worst memory."
Reserve goalkeeper Tubilandu, who conceded six of the nine goals against Yugoslavia after replacing Mwamba Kazadi as a first half substitute, confirms the financial problems that were hampering team efforts and the ensuing chaos before the match: "People talk about our 9-0 defeat to Yugoslavia, but you have to put it in context. We were swindled. We didn't get the World Cup money. We played Brazil and they beat us 3-0. The strongest team in the group was Brazil, not Yugoslavia. At first, there were only nine players at the match. We had to make radio calls to get the others to come. The World Cup organisers wouldn't let a team refuse to play because of money problems. They begged us to play because they feared the image of the Cup would be tarnished. To calm us down the organisers gave us each 3000 deutsch marks, which is five or six hundred dollars, I think."
The diminutive and affable midfield playmaker, Mamuwene Mana recalls how concerns over financial payments had come to the fore even before the team left for West Germany: "when we won the African Cup, the state collected ten Zaires from all over the country. Unemployed or salaried worker, everybody contributed. Where is that money? Nobody knows. The money belongs to us. They haven't given it to us."
Mobutu famously gave each member of the squad that qualified for the World Cup a house and car for their efforts. Kibonge takes us on a tour of what is still known as the 'Leopard neighbourhood,' where many of the players once lived. On their return from West Germany, most of the team faded into anonymity, selling their properties and scratching a living alongside their fellow countrymen as Zaire plunged into an economic crisis. We meet one such player, Ekofa Mbungu, who incredibly still has the green Volkswagen given to him by Mobutu which he subsequently used for his taxi business. "She's lasted this long because I'm a mechanic," he says. "It was the chance of a lifetime to be a taximan. Those who didn't know me were curious to meet me." Mbungu is less bitter about the money and wealth that didn't materialise from playing at the World Cup, citing his becoming a Jehovahs Witness as the main reason for his forgiveness.
According to the Secretary General of the Zaire Football Federation in 1974, Mr Thambwe, many of the former Leopards were well-treated once they retired from the game, being "hired by the state as state employees. They were scattered throughout the Republic, in the leagues, as state employees, as trainers. They gave it all up."
Mana, however, remains unrepentant about the treatment he and his former colleagues received: "A great keeper like Kazadi ensured that ex-Zaire won all those cups! He was sick. He suffered badly. Many other players have suffered, too. Like Mavuba, but we didn't see federation officials or ministers at their funerals. Mukumbo, Mwepu's big brother, died."
This fabulous film ensures that they will never be forgotten.
Thursday, 5 July 2012
In search of the Leopards
In her wonderful film, Entre la coupe et l'election(Between the Cup and the Election) Monique Mbeka Phoba seeks to track down the surviving members of the famous Leopards 1974 team. Filmed in 2006 during DR Congo's first multiparty elections in forty-one years, it soon becomes clear that the players have endured very different fates. For example, defender Boba Lobilo is initially extremely reluctant to face the camera because of his impoverished surroundings, his wife revealing that she 'sells coal' to make ends meet. However, he later talks about his football career and plays alongside many of his former teammates in a veterans match refereed by Mulamba N'daye's fifth wife, Mama Agnes, who also gives a revealing interview about her relationship with the country's greatest striker.
In contrast to Lobilo, his teammate in West Germany, Mafu Kibonge, is running for political office and gives an outspoken and intriguing new insight into events surrounding the final World Cup match against Brazil, where the Zairian team had been threatened with not being allowed home if they lost by more than three goals: "At half-time (with Zaire trailing 1-0) the whole Brazilian delegation came to us. Then the trainer said to us: 'Right, to please the crowd, freeze your game. Don't attack. Freeze your game and it's over. See what you can do. So we did." With Brazil needing a three goal margin of victory to progress and eliminate Scotland, Kibonge seemingly hints at collusion, albeit with no monetary gain: "We got nothing. We did it for pleasure. Firstly, because the Scots treated us so badly. Secondly, they won because the referee cheated. Besides, we had to make them pay, so we did." Perhaps the film's most poignant moment is when Kibonge pleads on behalf of his less fortunate teammates to a fellow politician to fight for their needs. This was finally forthcoming last year when it was announced that members of the Zairian 1968 and 1974 African Cup of Nations winning teams, including the families of deceased players, would receive a monthly payment of $500 in recognition of their achievements.
The issue of money and the part that it played in Zaire's World Cup failure is seemingly never far away from the players' thoughts. "My best memory in football is the World Cup," says ex-Leopards defender Illunga Mwepu. "We fought for a single place. It wasn't easy. My worst footballing memory is that I regret that we neglected God in our sport. If we recognised Him, as we do now, it would have been much better. We should have forgiven. We were angry over money matters. We lost 9-0. It was ridiculous. Afterwards, we thought about it, but it was too late. That is my worst memory."
Reserve goalkeeper Tubilandu, who conceded six of the nine goals against Yugoslavia after replacing Mwamba Kazadi as a first half substitute, confirms the financial problems that were hampering team efforts and the ensuing chaos before the match: "People talk about our 9-0 defeat to Yugoslavia, but you have to put it in context. We were swindled. We didn't get the World Cup money. We played Brazil and they beat us 3-0. The strongest team in the group was Brazil, not Yugoslavia. At first, there were only nine players at the match. We had to make radio calls to get the others to come. The World Cup organisers wouldn't let a team refuse to play because of money problems. They begged us to play because they feared the image of the Cup would be tarnished. To calm us down the organisers gave us each 3000 deutsch marks, which is five or six hundred dollars, I think."
The diminutive and affable midfield playmaker, Mamuwene Mana recalls how concerns over financial payments had come to the fore even before the team left for West Germany: "when we won the African Cup, the state collected ten Zaires from all over the country. Unemployed or salaried worker, everybody contributed. Where is that money? Nobody knows. The money belongs to us. They haven't given it to us."
Mobutu famously gave each member of the squad that qualified for the World Cup a house and car for their efforts. Kibonge takes us on a tour of what is still known as the 'Leopard neighbourhood,' where many of the players once lived. On their return from West Germany, most of the team faded into anonymity, selling their properties and scratching a living alongside their fellow countrymen as Zaire plunged into an economic crisis. We meet one such player, Ekofa Mbungu, who incredibly still has the green Volkswagen given to him by Mobutu which he subsequently used for his taxi business. "She's lasted this long because I'm a mechanic," he says. "It was the chance of a lifetime to be a taximan. Those who didn't know me were curious to meet me." Mbungu is less bitter about the money and wealth that didn't materialise from playing at the World Cup, citing his becoming a Jehovahs Witness as the main reason for his forgiveness.
According to the Secretary General of the Zaire Football Federation in 1974, Mr Thambwe, many of the former Leopards were well-treated once they retired from the game, being "hired by the state as state employees. They were scattered throughout the Republic, in the leagues, as state employees, as trainers. They gave it all up."
Mana, however, remains unrepentant about the treatment he and his former colleagues received: "A great keeper like Kazadi ensured that ex-Zaire won all those cups! He was sick. He suffered badly. Many other players have suffered, too. Like Mavuba, but we didn't see federation officials or ministers at their funerals. Mukumbo, Mwepu's big brother, died."
This fabulous film ensures that they will never be forgotten.
Monday, 14 June 2010
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."
Thursday, 3 June 2010
Pre-1974
In the mid-1960s, Congo's President Mobutu was convinced that the only way to improve the nation's football team and to help bring some unity to his country was to recall the Belgicains- the players who had moved to Belgium (from whom Congo had gained independence in 1960) to play professionally.
Mobutu took his inspiration from Ghanaian President Kwame Nkrumah, whose popularity had soared since his country's African Nations Cup wins in 1963 and 1965. Indeed, in 1966 Nkrumah brought his team to the Congo and easily beat Mobutu's Leopards, 3-0. Suitably impressed, Mobutu hired a foreign coach, the Hungarian Ferenc Csanadi, to train his team and even invited Pele's Santos team for a tour. These moves provided instant success when in 1968, Congo won their first African Nations Cup, ironically beating Ghana 1-0 in the final. However, their entry for the 1970 World Cup was rejected by FIFA and they failed to retain their African Nations Cup in 1972 (now playing as Zaire, the country's name changing in 1971), finishing a disappointing fourth after an epic 4-3 semi-final defeat to Mali.
By now, the Yugoslav Blagoje Vidinic was Zaire's coach, and in 1974 he led the Leopards to their greatest ever year: African Nations Cup Winners and a place in the World Cup Finals in West Germany.
In the mid-1960s, Congo's President Mobutu was convinced that the only way to improve the nation's football team and to help bring some unity to his country was to recall the Belgicains- the players who had moved to Belgium (from whom Congo had gained independence in 1960) to play professionally.
Mobutu took his inspiration from Ghanaian President Kwame Nkrumah, whose popularity had soared since his country's African Nations Cup wins in 1963 and 1965. Indeed, in 1966 Nkrumah brought his team to the Congo and easily beat Mobutu's Leopards, 3-0. Suitably impressed, Mobutu hired a foreign coach, the Hungarian Ferenc Csanadi, to train his team and even invited Pele's Santos team for a tour. These moves provided instant success when in 1968, Congo won their first African Nations Cup, ironically beating Ghana 1-0 in the final. However, their entry for the 1970 World Cup was rejected by FIFA and they failed to retain their African Nations Cup in 1972 (now playing as Zaire, the country's name changing in 1971), finishing a disappointing fourth after an epic 4-3 semi-final defeat to Mali.
By now, the Yugoslav Blagoje Vidinic was Zaire's coach, and in 1974 he led the Leopards to their greatest ever year: African Nations Cup Winners and a place in the World Cup Finals in West Germany.
Wednesday, 2 June 2010
The draw
Although the draw for the 1974 World Cup Finals was made on 5th January 1974, Zaire didn't know whether they would be playing Yugoslavia or Spain until February of that year. This was because the two teams had finished level in their qualification group on both points and goal difference, needing a play-off in Frankfurt, West Germany, which Yugoslavia won 1-0.
Pre-tournament predictions
"They had fine individualists, had done well in Africa, but it was already clear from their performance in the recent African Nations Cup and from a mediocre tour of Europe that little was to be expected of them." (Journalist Brian Glanville in his book, The Story of the World Cup)
"European football is almost a total mystery to the Leopards, and Vidinic knows that his big problem is to prepare his exuberant players to meet the sophisticated tactics they'll face in the finals." (Jack Rollin in the Radio Times World Cup Special, 1974)
"In my opinion, Zaire will prove to be the most talented of the three mystery 'underdog' teams." (BBC pundit Jimmy Hill. His two other 'mystery' teams were Haiti and Australia, both also making their first World Cup Finals appearances)
Tuesday, 1 June 2010
Leopards run Scotland close
14th June 1974. Zaire vs Scotland. Westfalenstadion, Dortmund. Kick off: 1930
Attendance: 25,000
Zaire 0 Scotland 2 (Lorimer 26', Jordan 34')
Teams: Zaire: Kazadi, Mwepu, Mukombo, Buhanga, Lobilo, Kilasu, Mana, Kidumu (captain) (sub: Kibonge 78'), Ndaye, Maku (sub: Kembo 64'), Kakoko
Scotland:: Harvey, Jardine, McGrain, Bremner, Holton, Blackley, Dalglish (sub: Hutchinson 75'), Jordan, Hay, Lorimer, Law.
Coach: Willie Ormond.
Yellow cards: Kidumu (Zaire) 38', Holton (Scotland) 48'
Referee: Gerhard Schulenburg (Germany), Assistant referees: Tony Boskovic (Australia), Hans-Joachim Weyland (East Germany)
Pre-match comments:
"If we cannot beat Zaire then we should pack up our bags and go home." (Scotland coach, Willie Ormond)
"Zaire must be taken seriously. They got there on merit, just like everybody else." (Scotland striker, Willie Morgan, is a little more cautious)
"We won't make the mistake of underestimating Zaire because we have been caught that way before. We won't relax either because goals are important all the time. It's only against the English that we like to show our superiority in terms of flashiness. Against the Africans we will play the British way, hustling and bustling." (Scotland captain, Billy Bremner)
The Match
Zaire received all the plaudits on making their World Cup debut, not only for restricting the Scots to a two-goal margin, but also for their own exuberant, fast-flowing style of attacking football. Captain Mantantu Kidumu and fellow midfielder Mayanga Maku both wasted great goal-scoring opportunities for the Africans, whilst centre-half Boba Lobilo was outstanding in defence. Scotland's two goals both came in the first half, the second (by Joe Jordan) being blatantly offside.
Had it not been for the performances of Lobilo, goalkeeper Kazadi and the woodwork, Zaire would undoubtedly have suffered a much heavier defeat. The defensive frailties which were so cruelly exposed in the following match were apparent, particularly when the Zairians tried to defend free-kicks. However, the team had done their continent proud, announcing the true arrival of black African football onto the world stage.
"Let's face it, we underestimated them. For fifteen minutes I wondered what the hell was going on, where the devil had this lot come from, playing stuff like that!" (Scotland's centre-half, Jim Holton)
"I have no regrets about slowing down the game in the final ten minutes against the Africans. If the game was played again I'd do exactly the same thing. In the circumstances, it was the right decision, I'm sure. It was hot and sticky, which favoured Zaire, whose substitutes gave their team a kiss of life. If we had opened up any more, Zaire may have pinched a goal." (Billy Bremner) "We were weak in aerial duels and that, basically, was the difference." (Zaire midfielder, Adelard Mayanaga) "Zaire were an eye-opener. Their movements are snaky, they have a low centre of gravity, and their control is on the ground, with the accent on attack, as fresh as a summer breeze on a lovely summer night." (British journalist, Geoffrey Green)
Monday, 31 May 2010
Zaire's World Cup falls apart
18th June 1974. Yugoslavia vs Zaire. Parkstadion. Gelsenkirchen. Kick off:
Attendance: 20,000
Yugoslavia 9 (Bajevic 8',30'81, Dzajic 14', Surjak 18', Katalinski 22', Bogicevic 35', Oblak 61', Petkovic 65' Zaire 0
Teams: Yugoslavia:Maric, Buljan, Hadziabdic, Katalinski, Bogicevic, Petkovic, Oblak, Surjak, Acimovic, Dzajic, Bajevic.
Coach: Milan Miljanic
Zaire: Kazadi (sub: Tubilandu 20'), Mwepu, Mukombo, Buhanga, Lobilo, Kilasu, Manu, Kembo, Kidumu (captain), Ndaye, Kakoko (sub: Maku 45')
Yellow cards: Hadziabdic (Yugoslavia) 55' Red card: Ndaye (Zaire) 22'
Referee: Omar Delgado (Colombia), Assistant referees: Vicente Llobregat (Venezuala), Ramon Barreto (Uruguay)
"The management had made off with our match bonuses, and we'd threatened not to play the game. Frankly we'd lost our morale. We could easily have let in 20 goals." (Zaire's star striker, Mulamba Ndaye)
Zaire's goalkeeper, Mwamba Kazadi, was substituted after just twenty minutes with the Leopards already three goals down. The first job of his replacement, Dimi Tubilandu, was to pick the ball out of the net yet again, literally seconds after coming on. To compound Zaire's misery, Ndaye was sent off for protesting against this goal, which looked suspiciously offside. Yugoslavia led 6-0 at half-time and had ample opportunities in the second-half to reach double figures.
"I'm not a psychologist, but at half-time I thought the coach was a bit distracted. He had changed the line-up and it was turning into our worst game. He had taken off Kazadi, who was a good goalkeeper, and put in Tubilandu, who was 5ft 4 in tall against these six-foot-plus Yugoslav forwards. The poor goalkeeper! We were static on the field, the defenders were nervous, our marking wasn't up to standard, our clearances were poor, we hadn't had any clear chances. We had really shown our amateurism. But you also have to remember that Yugoslavia were one of the best teams of the era." (Midfielder Adelyard Mayanga Maku, who came on for Zaire as a second-half substitute having surprisingly been dropped from the starting line-up)
Zaire vs Yugoslavia 1974 World Cup (match highlights)
"The cause of African football (has been) set back a great deal by tonight. Their case to have the number of African nations in the World Cup increased can hardly have been strengthened by this performance." (ITV match commentator, Gerald Sinstadt)
Sunday, 30 May 2010
Leopards restore some pride
22nd June 1974, Parkstadion, Gelsenkirchen. Kick off: 1600. Attendance: 35,000
Brazil 3 (Jairzinho 12', Rivelino 66', Valdomiro 79') Zaire 0
Teams: Zaire:Kazadi, Mwepu, Mukombo, Buhanga (replaced Kidumu as captain, 62'), Lobilo, Tshinabu (sub:Kilasu 79'), Manu, Kidumu (captain) (Kembo 62'), Maku, Kibonge, Ntumba
Brazil:Leao, Luis Pereira, Marinho Peres, Piazza (Mirandinha 60'), Marinho Chagas, Jairzinho, Leivinha (Valdomiro 11'), Rivelino, Nelinho, Carpegiani, Edu.
Coach: Mario Zagallo.
Yellow cards: Mirandinha (Brazil) 77', Mwepu (Zaire) 85'
Referee: Nicolai Rainea (Romania, Assistant referees: Aurelio Angonese (Italy)
Klaus Ohmsen (East Germany)
In stark contrast to the Yugoslavia game, Zaire defended superbly throughout with some determined tackling and spectacular goal-line clearances frustrating the Brazilians, who needed a three-goal win to progress to the next stage. The third goal eventually came after a terrible mistake by Kazadi and then, with five minutes remaining, Brazil were awarding a free-kick twenty-five yards from the Zaire goal.
Zaire vs Brazil 1974 World Cup (match highlights)
"Now that's a booking. That must be a booking for Mwepu." (ITV match commentator, Gerald Sinstadt) (see Ilunga Mwepu post for further explanation)
"What on earth did he do that for? A bizarre moment of African ignorance." (BBC match commentator, John Motson, who at this point didn't know the real reasons behind Mwepu's actions)
"Vidinic told us to go out and enjoy it, that it would be his last game with us, and that Brazil played the same style as we did so we had a chance to show something. We didn't play badly, actually. Better, I think, than we had against Scotland." (Zaire midfielder Adelard Mayanga Maku, who had been restored to the starting line-up)
"Perhaps it would have been better not to play Zaire first. Perhaps we softened them up for Yugoslavia and Brazil. Who knows?" (Scotland captain Billy Bremner reflects on his team's elimination, on goal difference, from the World Cup)
22nd June 1974, Parkstadion, Gelsenkirchen. Kick off: 1600. Attendance: 35,000
Brazil 3 (Jairzinho 12', Rivelino 66', Valdomiro 79') Zaire 0
Teams: Zaire:Kazadi, Mwepu, Mukombo, Buhanga (replaced Kidumu as captain, 62'), Lobilo, Tshinabu (sub:Kilasu 79'), Manu, Kidumu (captain) (Kembo 62'), Maku, Kibonge, Ntumba
Brazil:Leao, Luis Pereira, Marinho Peres, Piazza (Mirandinha 60'), Marinho Chagas, Jairzinho, Leivinha (Valdomiro 11'), Rivelino, Nelinho, Carpegiani, Edu.
Coach: Mario Zagallo.
Yellow cards: Mirandinha (Brazil) 77', Mwepu (Zaire) 85'
Referee: Nicolai Rainea (Romania, Assistant referees: Aurelio Angonese (Italy)
Klaus Ohmsen (East Germany)
In stark contrast to the Yugoslavia game, Zaire defended superbly throughout with some determined tackling and spectacular goal-line clearances frustrating the Brazilians, who needed a three-goal win to progress to the next stage. The third goal eventually came after a terrible mistake by Kazadi and then, with five minutes remaining, Brazil were awarding a free-kick twenty-five yards from the Zaire goal.
Zaire vs Brazil 1974 World Cup (match highlights)
"Now that's a booking. That must be a booking for Mwepu." (ITV match commentator, Gerald Sinstadt) (see Ilunga Mwepu post for further explanation)
"What on earth did he do that for? A bizarre moment of African ignorance." (BBC match commentator, John Motson, who at this point didn't know the real reasons behind Mwepu's actions)
"Vidinic told us to go out and enjoy it, that it would be his last game with us, and that Brazil played the same style as we did so we had a chance to show something. We didn't play badly, actually. Better, I think, than we had against Scotland." (Zaire midfielder Adelard Mayanga Maku, who had been restored to the starting line-up)
"Perhaps it would have been better not to play Zaire first. Perhaps we softened them up for Yugoslavia and Brazil. Who knows?" (Scotland captain Billy Bremner reflects on his team's elimination, on goal difference, from the World Cup)
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