Sources deep inside the Fédération Congolaise de Football Association confirm an extraordinary situation: the entire senior squad of the Leopards has been placed into mandatory isolation less than 48 hours before a pivotal World Cup qualifier against Senegal. Documents leaked to this newsroom show a directive stamped with the signature of the federation president, Constant Omari Seka. The order, dated yesterday, cites 'unforeseen force majeure' and compels all 23 players and coaching staff to remain at the team hotel in Kinshasa. No one is permitted to leave. Not even for training.
But here is what they are not telling you. Multiple sources on the ground say the lockdown is not about a virus. It is about money. The federation owes millions of dollars in unpaid bonuses dating back to the Africa Cup of Nations. Players have threatened to strike. The isolation order is a muzzle. A way to keep them contained and quiet until the match whistle blows.
Let us track the paper trail. The federation's accounts have been frozen in three banks over the past month. Customs records show the team's chartered aircraft was repossessed by a leasing company in Luanda last week. The promised appearance fees for the Senegal match? They never landed. I have seen the player contracts. There are clauses permitting 'extraordinary measures' in case of 'financial emergency'. This is that emergency.
And what of Omari Seka? The man at the top sits on the FIFA Council. He is a powerful suit. He has not returned calls. His deputy, a man named Tshimanga, resigned yesterday. He told us: 'I would not put my name on this. It is a prison.'
The players, meanwhile, are prisoners in hotel rooms. Star striker Cédric Bakambu posted a cryptic message on social media: 'They cannot keep us silent forever.' He has since deleted it. A source inside the camp says morale is shattered. 'They are Demanding what is owed. The federation thinks they can lock us in and we will play like robots. It will not work.'
FIFA is now watching. A spokesperson said they are 'aware of the situation and monitoring closely.' But they do nothing. Why? Because the suits protect their own. The DR Congo federation owes FIFA over a million dollars in fines from previous infractions. FIFA pretends not to see it.
Here is the bottom line. The World Cup qualifier is Sunday. If the players do not take the pitch, DR Congo forfeits. Senegal advances. And the suits? They keep their money. They keep their power. The players get nothing. Not even the dignity of a fair fight.
This is a shakedown. A dirty, quiet shakedown behind the white facade of football diplomacy. I will be here digging. Watch for the next leak.
