Author: Michael Mbuyi

Luanda opener sets the tone for the Angola 50 Years fête An electric atmosphere filled the Kilamba arena in Luanda as the host nation inaugurated the Angola 50 Years international handball tournament, a sporting jewel embedded in the golden-jubilee celebrations of the Republic of Angola. In the curtain-raiser, the Angolan senior women’s team—ten-time African champions—prevailed 25-21 against a Congolese side that refused to be awed by pedigree or home support. The four-goal margin, modest by the standards of recent duels between the two Central African neighbours, drew applause from observers who sensed a competitive balance emerging on the continent. A…

FECOFOOT Confirms 13 September Kick-Off At the headquarters of the Fédération congolaise de football, the Executive Committee met club presidents on 6 September 2025 and endorsed 13 September as the non-negotiable opening day of the 2025-2026 Ligue 1 campaign. After more than a year without top-flight action, the announcement sounded like a starting whistle for athletes, coaches and supporters alike. “We have written, and we await the reply. If the stadiums are not opened on 13 September, we shall draw all the lessons and consequences,” stated federation president Jean-Guy Blaise Mayolas during the brief yet charged meeting. The determination to…

Madingou turns into Congo’s handball capital For ten animated days this September, the normally tranquil streets of Madingou resonate with whistles, chants and the dull thud of resin-coated balls. The Departmental capital of Bouenza, counting scarcely forty-four thousand residents, has welcomed twenty-three senior teams—fifteen men’s and eight women’s formations—from Brazzaville, Pointe-Noire, Pool and the host department to compete in the inaugural “I Love Bouenza in the Literal Sense” tournament. The opening match, held on 8 September 2025 at the city’s freshly refurbished omnisport stadium, was launched by the Prefect, Colonel-Major Marcel Nganongo, under the gaze of Mayor Fortuné Pouéla and…

Strategic Reset for the Domestic Championship Brazzaville’s national stadium echoed with cautious optimism on 6 September when Jean Guy Blaise Mayolas, president of the Congolese Football Federation’s Executive Committee, convened the chairpersons and general secretaries of all Ligue 1 outfits. With the first whistle of the 2025-26 Direct Ligue 1 scheduled for 13 September, the federation chose a deliberately early briefing to insist on a profound administrative reset, arguing that organisational efficiency now ranks as a sporting prerequisite. The message is clear: without robust governance, the technical quality displayed on the pitch will remain fragile. Mayolas’ call comes after twelve…

A Landmark Night in Rabat The renovated Moulay Abdellah Sports Complex offered a spectacular setting for Morocco’s decisive 7th-round fixture against Niger. More than a mere qualifier, the encounter evolved into a celebration of national sporting ambition, culminating in a 5-0 scoreline that assured the Atlas Lions of a place at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The victory—secured on 5 September—marks Morocco’s third consecutive appearance at the tournament and the seventh overall, adding 2026 to the illustrious list of 1970, 1986, 1994 and 1998. Regragui’s Tactical Mastery and Player Brilliance Although Walid Regragui’s men needed only a draw, the head…

Presidential Guard Club Celebrates a Landmark Season Ceremonial fanfare resounded through the Brazzaville barracks of the Direction générale de la sécurité présidentielle when, on 4 September, towering trophy cups and glinting medals were formally presented to General Serge Oboa, president of the Guard’s expansive multisport club. The occasion marked the culmination of the 2024-2025 competitive calendar in which the volleyball and karate sections together amassed a collection of collective and individual distinctions. Observers present—including federation heads, senior officers, coaches and a number of diplomatic guests—interpreted the display as tangible evidence of the Guard’s disciplined ethos translated into athletic mastery. Leadership…

Football and Nzango: Dual Engines of Social Cohesion The sporting menu blends global and distinctly Congolese disciplines. Football, the lingua franca of young athletes from Pointe-Noire to Impfondo, provides the universal grammar of teamwork, fair play and tactical discipline. Nzango, by contrast, is unmistakably local: a choreographed contest of rhythmic footwork performed exclusively by women, combining dance, song and gymnastic agility. Together they create complementary spaces for gender-inclusive participation. Observers from the Niari Youth Directorate underline that Nzango’s prominence affirms the government’s objective of widening female access to sport, echoing recommendations issued by UNESCO on gender equity in physical education.…

Maltese Premier League Stage for Mafoumbi’s Authority The Mediterranean archipelago rarely claims pride of place in African football narratives, yet the second round of the Maltese Premier League offered a timely reminder of Congolese reach. According to local match reports, Marsaxlokk’s 1–0 victory at Naxxar hinged on the composure of Christoffer Mafoumbi, whose command of aerial deliveries preserved a second successive win. The former Blackpool goalkeeper wp-signup.phped his twelfth career clean sheet on European soil, illustrating the portable tactical education he once received at Diables Noirs in Brazzaville. With six points harvested in as many outings, Marsaxlokk now sits second,…

Strategic Significance of the Talangaï Upgrade In the dense urban fabric of Brazzaville’s sixth arrondissement, Talangaï, a refurbished sports platform now gleams within the walls of Antonio-Agostinho Neto High School. On 26 August the Ministry in charge of Sports formally transferred the facility to its counterpart responsible for basic and secondary education, signalling a carefully choreographed inter-ministerial partnership. Two fully renovated courts—one for basketball, one for volleyball—compose the nucleus of this investment, financed through the National Fund for the Promotion and Development of Physical and Sporting Activities. Aligning Education and Public Health Objectives Officials emphasise that the project is embedded…

A Return Watched Beyond the Stands When Racing Club de Brazzaville (RCB) stepped onto the immaculate pitch of the Ignié Technical Centre for the decisive play-off, it carried more than its own colours. The capital’s club embodied Brazzaville’s ambition to reaffirm its sporting prestige within a domestic league that officials frequently present as a mirror of national vitality. By defeating Association Sportive Ponténégrine over two legs, the RCB re-enters Ligue 1 for the first time since the 2020-2021 relegation, a development the Ministry of Sports has greeted as “an encouraging signal for the professionalisation of our competitions” (Les Dépêches de…