Author: Emmanuel Mputu

European Qualifiers Spotlight Congolese Excellence The closing act of UEFA’s August play-offs delivered a compelling tableau for observers of Congolese football. Rijeka’s heavy loss at the Toumba Stadium in Salonika, a five-goal reversal that erased the Croatian champion’s first-leg advantage, could not mask the season-long influence of Merveil Ndockyt. The Brazzaville-born midfielder was a late scratch through injury, and his absence robbed the visitors of their habitual vertical transition. Meanwhile, Lausanne-Sport scripted the evening’s most improbable narrative. Travelling to Istanbul with only a scoreless home draw in the pocket, the Swiss side capitalised on Besiktas’ numerical inferiority and sealed passage…

Bundesliga Opening Day: Augsburg’s Congolese Momentum The Bavarian air appeared congenial to Congolese flair on the first weekend of the German Bundesliga. FC Augsburg, historically labelled a workmanlike side, injected technical audacity by handing a maiden start to Han-Noah Massengo, the summer recruit whose developmental years at Bristol City sharpened both his positional versatility and his composure in transition. Operating on the left flank of a fluid 3-4-2-1, the 22-year-old repeatedly inverted into central corridors, unsettling SC Freiburg’s pressing triggers and facilitating the Swabians’ 3-1 success. Match-tracking data released by the Deutsche Fußball Liga recorded that Massengo completed 91 percent…

Historic MoUs on Congolese Stadium Access A decade ago the Congolese Ministry of Sports and the Fédération congolaise de football (FECOFOOT) endorsed a twenty-year framework granting the federation operational rights over the Alphonse-Massamba-Débat, Pointe-Noire Municipal and Paul-Sayal-Moukila arenas. The arrangement, formalised by a ministerial note in 2014 and a complementary declaration in 2016, was conceived as a counterpart to FIFA-financed synthetic turf installations intended to professionalise the national game. Those documents, still cited verbatim in FECOFOOT communiqués, positioned the three stadiums as strategic hubs for elite competitions and for community outreach. At the time, international observers hailed the protocol as…

Congo Handball Federation election timeline: context and stakes After months of anticipatory silence, the Independent Electoral Commission of the Congolese Handball Federation released a detailed calendar that points to 16 August as the date for an elective congress. The announcement has revived a sense of urgency among clubs, regional leagues and corporate sponsors who see the vote as a prerequisite for the re-launch of national championships halted since 2022. In Brazzaville’s sports circles, the calendar is considered a milestone that could nurture renewed confidence in the federation’s governance, a goal explicitly supported by the Ministry of Youth and Sports, which…