Congolese football is in mourning following the passing of Mwepu Ilunga, a former international defender for Zaire (now DR Congo), who died on Friday in Kinshasa after a long illness.
A key figure in African football history, Ilunga was part of the legendary Zaire squad that won the 1974 African Cup of Nations and represented Africa at the 1974 FIFA World Cup in West Germany—the first Sub-Saharan team to qualify for the tournament.
At club level, he achieved continental glory with TP Mazembe, lifting the African Cup of Champions Clubs (now CAF Champions League) in 1967 and 1968.
Ilunga is perhaps most remembered internationally for a controversial moment against Brazil during the 1974 World Cup. As Brazil lined up a free kick, Ilunga famously broke from the wall and booted the ball away before the referee’s whistle—an act that earned him a yellow card and has since become one of the most iconic moments in World Cup history, often misunderstood but now viewed as an act of protest amid difficult circumstances.
His legacy lives on as a pioneer of Congolese football and a symbol of African football’s early battles on the world stage.
🕊️ Rest in peace, Mwepu Ilunga (1949–2015).
