Zaire, Mobutu, and the 1974 FIFA World Cup

When Zaire qualified for the 1974 World Cup, the country’s dictator, Joseph Desire-Mobutu, gifted his players cars and houses.  Mobutu took power in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1965 after staging multiple coups, the first one notably usurping Patrice Lumumba, which ultimately led to his execution in early 1961. Over the next three decades, Mobutu ran a kleptocratic dictatorship indelibly linked to his cult of personality. He changed the DRC’s name to “Zaire,” urged its citizens (including himself) to change their Western names to indigenous ones, and used soccer to bring prestige to the country. Mobutu was thrilled when his country qualified for the 1974 World Cup, which was supposed to be the defining moment in the country’s sporting history. But the World Cup did not go to plan. Unfilled payments, threats, and protests led to Zaire’s 1974 World Cup campaign being marked by mystery and intrigue, highlighted by the infamous moment of Mwepu Ilunga kicking the ball away before a Brazilian free kick.