Thursday, 11 June 2026
Wednesday, 11 March 2026
EX-CONGO FOOTBALL CHIEF GETS LIFE SENTENCE OVER $1.1M FIFA FUNDS
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| AP Photo |
Former Republic of Congo soccer federation president Jean-Guy Blaise Mayolas was convicted of embezzling $1.1 million in FIFA funds and sentenced to life in prison Tuesday, though he remains on the loose.
A Brazzaville criminal court found Mayolas guilty of money laundering, forgery, use of forged documents and misappropriation of funds. He was tried in absentia after failing to appear during the proceedings.
Mayolas’ whereabouts were not immediately known.
Several of his associates were also convicted. His son, Lionel Mayolas, received a life sentence for the same charges and was also tried in absentia. Federation secretary general Badji Mombo Wantete and treasurer Raoul Kanda were each sentenced to five years in prison for complicity in money laundering, forgery, use of forged documents and misappropriation of funds.
Prosecutors said Mayolas diverted about $1.1 million in FIFA funding intended for the country's soccer federation. The amount included a $500,000 grant for women’s soccer through FIFA’s COVID-19 relief program.
Authorities said the federation had pledged to use the money to organise women’s competitions and improve infrastructure, but those projects were never implemented.
FIFA says it audits accounts to ensure funds it distributes to member federations are spent appropriately.
Last year, FIFA suspended the federation after the Congolese government removed Mayolas from office in September 2024, citing third-party interference in the federation’s affairs.
Republic of Congo forfeited two 2026 World Cup qualifying matches during the suspension, which was lifted in May.
- Rédaction Africanews with AP
Thursday, 18 December 2025
Friday, 24 October 2025
MIKE TYSON VISITS HIS ANCESTRAL HOME | CELEBRATES 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF "RUMBLE IN THE JUNGLE" | DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO
Former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson arrived in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, on Saturday (October 18th) to participate in ongoing 50th anniversary celebrations of the legendary "Rumble in the Jungle" fight between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman.
Tyson, who is considered one of Ali's spiritual successors, held a press conference at the newly renamed Ali-Foreman Stadium, formerly known as Stade Tata Raphaël.
The event is part of a month-long celebration organized by DIVO International, with support from the Congolese government and the U.S. Embassy in the DRC.
During the press conference, Tyson expressed his enthusiasm for being part of the historic event, stating his desire to be in the same venue where Ali and Foreman fought.
He reminisced about the excitement surrounding the original fight, which took place when he was nine years old.
The anniversary celebrations, which will culminate on October 30th with the official renaming of the stadium, include various cultural and sporting events.
- Reuters
Saturday, 6 September 2025
Friday, 5 September 2025
Wednesday, 20 August 2025
Sunday, 17 August 2025
Wednesday, 6 August 2025
Friday, 25 April 2025
BAYERN MUNICH SILENT ON RWANDA AS PRESSURE GROWS
Months after promising to investigate a sponsorship with Rwanda, a country labeled as "responsible for misery," Bayern Munich have done nothing. Other high-profile clubs associated with Rwanda made moves this week.
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| Bayern fans held up a banner that translates to: 'Visit Rwanda — whoever looks on with indifference is betraying the values of FC Bayern!' |
"We are dealing with it, of course. I have personally sent two employees to Rwanda to monitor the situation. Our colleagues will return this week and report back."
Those were the words of Bayern Munich CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen to DW at the beginning of February. There has been no word since.
Dreesen was responding to comments from Congo's (DRC) foreign minister, Therese Kayikwamba Wagner, who had called on clubs who deal with Rwanda to end their agreements.
"Countless lives have been lost; rape, murder and theft prevail. Your sponsor is directly responsible for this misery," she wrote at the time.
Rwanda has backed the M23 rebel group as they capture territory in a bloody conflict in neighboring Congo.
M23 has been complicit in and responsible for committing serious violations of international law involving the targeting of women and children in situations of armed conflict in the DRC including killing and maiming, sexual violence, abduction, and forced displacement," reads a United Nations report on the group.
A repeated request for comment for this story went unanswered by the Bundesliga club, with the sponsorship deal set to run until 2028.
Fan pressure
The deal has been met with opposition by some Bayern fans, most notably when a banner was raised behind the goal in a match against Eintracht Frankfurt in February:
"Visit Rwanda — Whoever looks on with indifference is betraying the values of FC Bayern," it read.
This referenced the words of Bayern President Herbert Hainer, who had said: "We must stand united against divisive forces that undermine democracy. Anyone who looks on indifferently is putting democracy at the mercy of its enemies" in relation to Germany's recent general election.
Bayern fan groups see this as hypocritical, given that Rwandan President Paul Kagame won 99% of the vote in the country's 2024 election, has scrapped term limits and faces no real opposition. Rwanda's sports ministry also ignored a request for an interview from DW."
German government takes action on Rwanda
Bayern can no longer fall back on the position of the German government to justify its partnership in Rwanda, which Dreesen said means "Bayern can become active on the African continent and gather important experiences" as well as "help Rwanda grow in sports with projects for youth football."
In March, the German government restricted the terms of its bilateral cooperation agreement with Rwanda and put a halt to any new funding.
The German government, like the European Union and the Security Council of the United Nations in its Resolution 2773, has repeatedly expressed its views on the situation in Eastern Congo and on the actions of the M23, which is supported by Rwanda, and of the Rwanda Defence Forces (RDF), including the capture of the provincial capitals of Goma (North Kivu) and Bukavu (South Kivu). We utterly condemn these actions," a statement read.
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| The "Visit Rwanda" slogan is a common sight at Bayern Munich matchesImage |
Rwanda soon hit back, with the ministry of foreign affairs and international cooperation saying the measures were "wrong and counterproductive" and "let the DRC off the hook."
"Countries like Germany that bear a historical responsibility for the recurring instability in this region should know better than to apply one-sided, coercive measures. Rwanda will continue to protect its national security while remaining fully engaged in the ongoing regional peace process," the statement read.
Rwanda set to take Champions League stage
All of which calls into question the PR value for elite European clubs of sponsorship deals worth about €5 million ($5.7 million) a year to Bayern and a little more to others — pocket change to such rich organizations. The soft power goals of recognition, support and sales in the emerging African market play a significant role, but Bayern's ending of a similar deal with Qatar appeared to be a warning sign of the negative effects of such deals.
For Rwanda though, things are going well in this regard. Next Tuesday the other two clubs with Visit Rwanda deals — Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain — meet in London in the UEFA Champions League semifinals. This means a global audience of millions will see the Visit Rwanda logo, and one of them will be in the final in Munich on May 31. It is all part of a larger strategy to burnish the country's image using sports through Visit Rwanda, the government's tourism arm.
Supporters of both clubs have joined Bayern fans in voicing their discontent, though it is yet to make any difference. Despite nearly 75,000 PSG fans signing a petition to end the Rwanda deal, the club renewed it on April 16.
"Together, we help showcase the cultural richness and natural beauty of Rwanda, while demonstrating that football can inspire and bring communities around the world closer together," said club CEO Victoriano Melero.
Arsenal to take action?
Arsenal fans are hoping their club doesn't follow suit. A social media video from the Gunners for Peace group uses humor to get the message across, making a fake tourism video for the home of their local rivals, Tottenham.
Saturday, 15 March 2025
GEORGE FOREMAN LOST HIS HEAVYWEIGHT AGED 25 & REGAINED IT 20 YEARS LATER
In 1974, 25 year old George Foreman was unbeaten heavyweight champion of the world until he faced Muhammad Ali in the legendary “Rumble in the jungle” when he was defeated in the eighth round.
Nearly 20 years later on November 5th, 1994 at 45 years old Foreman stepped back into wearing the same red shorts that he lost in. He went on to win in a huge upset knocking out Michael Moorer to reclaim the heavyweight world championship.
- Ring Magazine
Thursday, 6 March 2025
FIFA BANS 3 COUNTRIES
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| Gianni Infantino - FIFA president |
Three countries have been excluded from playing in the 2026 FIFA World Cup due to various reasons.
The Russian Football Union (RFU) has been banned from both FIFA and UEFA competitions since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
Last year, FIFA and UEFA decided to uphold Russia's ban from worldwide competitions through to the 2026 World Cup.
That means neither the men's nor women's teams can play in the World Cup or European Championships. Domestic club sides also cannot play in UEFA competitions.
In Europe, the draw for the qualification groups was made in December and Russia was the only UEFA member not to be included with the remaining 54 nations divided amongst a dozen groups.
Now, FIFA has suspended Congo and Pakistan with immediate effect due to 'serious circumstances' - essentially banning both nations from even the prospect of the 2026 World Cup.
FIFA has banned Congolese Football Association, known as FECOFOOT, for what is described as a 'particularly serious situation of undue interference by third parties' in its affairs.
A FIFA statement read: "FECOFOOT has been suspended with immediate effect due to a particularly serious situation of undue interference by third parties in the affairs of the organisation, which constitutes a clear violation of FECOFOOT’s obligations in accordance with the FIFA Statutes.
"The decision was taken in consultation with CAF after two FIFA/CAF missions were dispatched to Brazzaville."
FIFA say the suspension will only be lifted under several conditions including returning FECOFOOT's headquarters to the full control of the Congolese Football Association, halting any efforts to 'change the signatories' of FECOFOOT's bank accounts, giving decisions to an ad hoc committee and ensuring full cooperation to allow the association to operate without any third party influence.
The Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) has also been suspended after it did not adopt a revised constitution that would 'ensure truly fair and democratic elections'.
The FIFA statement read: "The suspension will only be lifted subject to the PFF Congress approving the version of the PFF Constitution presented by FIFA and the AFC."
Congo currently sit bottom of Group E in the CAF qualification section, while Pakistan finished bottom of Group G in the second round of the qualification process in the AFC confederation.
The next edition of the global tournament which is held every four years will take place across three countries in the summer of 2026.
The USA will be the biggest host of the trio with a total of 11 stadiums due to stage games, with three cities in Mexico and two in Canada completing the tournament's composition.
Argentina are the defending champions having won their third World Cup at the competition held in the winter of 2022 in Qatar, beating France on penalties following a 3-3 draw after extra-time.
- Beatrice Laryea
Sunday, 2 February 2025
DRC CONGO ASKS CLUBS TO END VISIT RWANDA SPONSORSHIP, BAYERN, PSG TO END RWANDA SPONSORSHIP
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| Democratic Republic of Congo's foreign minister Therese Kayikwamba speaks during a National Security Council meeting. Reuters |
Thursday, 31 October 2024
ALI-FOREMAN AT 50: RUMBLE IN THE JUNGLE STILL ABOUT 'WHAT IT DID FOR THE PEOPLE '
In 1974, the heavyweight boxing match in Zaire combined music, sports and culture to create a world event
“You think the world was shocked when Nixon resigned? Wait until I whup George Foreman’s behind.” — Muhammad Ali
Many events throughout history have captivated sports, but none garnered such worldwide attention as the heavyweight boxing championship bout between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman 50 years ago in Kinshasa, Zaire.
The spectacle on Oct. 30, 1974, oozed with symbolism and Black Power never seen before in sports. Not only were the combatants Black — and would make the biggest purse in boxing history at that time — but the face of the promotion was an ex-con named Don King, who would become one of the premier boxing promoters of the 20th century. The bout was also the first heavyweight championship fight in Africa, with a concert festival with musical legends in the lineup leading up to the fight.
While not the official title, the bout became known as The Rumble in the Jungle, created by Ali while he was training in front of reporters. The conclusion of the fight was the beginning of the end of Foreman’s first run as a fighter, and the victory helped cement Ali’s legacy as one of the greatest boxers of all time.
But staging the heavyweight title had its challenges, including a few glitches to overcome leading up to the fight.
In 1974, the same year President Richard Nixon resigned from office ahead of certain impeachment, Ali was seven years removed from the stripping of the world heavyweight title and the suspension of his boxing license after he refused to be inducted into the Vietnam War. In 1971, he had lost “The Fight of the Century” in a unanimous decision against Joe Frazier. Ali avenged his loss to Frazier and a loss to Ken Norton, leading up to his fight with Foreman.
Foreman won the heavyweight gold medal in the Olympics in 1968. He was 40-0 with 37 knockouts in 1974. Two fighters who defeated Ali were destroyed by Foreman – Frazier in January 1973 and Norton several months later in March.
Shortly before Foreman’s second-round TKO of Norton in Caracas, Venezuela, King convinced Foreman and Ali to sign contacts for a fight in the fall. King, hired by Hank Schwartz, owner of Video Techniques, a closed-circuit broadcast company, promised each fighter $5 million, double the amount Ali and Frazier each were paid in their fight in 1971.
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| A fight ticket for Ali vs. Foreman, originally scheduled for Sept. 25, 1974.CHRISTIE’S IMAGES |
Despite the promise, King and Schwartz didn’t initially have the money or a fight location. That changed when an introduction led them to dictator Mobutu Sese Seko, Zaire’s president, who fronted the money. He allowed the fight to take place in his country because he wanted to spread his and Zaire’s name around the world. This was the same Mobutu who, once backed by Belgium and the United States, ordered the arrest of Patrice Lumumba, the first prime minister of Democratic Republic of the Congo, then known as the Republic of the Congo, and handed him over to Belgian and secessionist forces. Lumumba was murdered by those forces in 1961.
“Mobutu Sese Seko used money that he robbed from his country,” Bill Caplan, Foreman’s publicist, said. “The country was mineral-rich, and Mobutu had millions of dollars in a Swiss bank account.”
With contracts signed, the fight was scheduled for Sept. 25 at 3 a.m. (10 p.m. ET) to accommodate closed-circuit audiences in the United States. And it was announced that a three-day music festival, Zaire 74, would take place leading up to the fight. Conceived by record producer Stewart Levine and South African trumpeter Hugh Masekela, the concert featured 31 acts from Africa and the United States, such as James Brown, The Spinners, Sister Sledge, B.B. King, Bill Withers and The Crusaders.
“Stewart and Masekela partnered together and spent a lot of time understanding and recording African music,” Gary Stromberg, who was responsible for public relations for the festival, said. “When the fight was announced, it just felt like a natural thing to put on a music event to really make it a world event.”
Ali and Foreman arrived in Africa several weeks before their scheduled fight to train and to get acclimated to the climate. When Foreman arrived, he was greeted by a crowd yelling, “Welcome home, brother!” Ali received a similar reception. The crowd also sparked an idea. Jerry Izenberg, who covered the fight for the Newark Star-Ledger, said Ali had a question for his group.
“Ali wanted to know who the [Congolese] disliked, and he was told the Belgians because they had once colonized the country,” said Izenberg, author of Once There Were Giants: The Golden Age of Heavyweight Boxing. “So, Ali holds up his hands like the pope and everything gets quiet, and he says, ‘George Foreman is Belgian.’ The crowd immediately starts yelling, ‘Ali, bomaye’ [Ali, kill him].”
Unlike Foreman, the 4-1 underdog Ali embraced the culture and the moment. While Foreman stayed in seclusion, Ali attended news conferences and mingled with fans. Foreman struggled with the conditions of the country. Many residents were poor under Mobutu’s reign. People would overload public transportation vehicles by hanging on rooftops and outside of the vehicles.
“People would sit outside at night in a lit area where the light would attract these giant moths, and they’d snatch those moths out of the air and eat them,” Caplan said. “That was quite a sight.”
But there were times when Foreman was encouraged to make public appearances, especially when it came to dinner offered to both fight camps by Mobutu. Foreman probably wished he had stayed back at his hotel.
“We were served this strange dish,” Caplan said. “They called [the dish] the cousins. ‘You ate cousins tonight.’ They were monkeys. It was monkey meat. It reminded you of beef, but stringy.”
Since I ran, trained, and sparred with Ali, I was confident he’d win. George was big and strong, but I knew Ali would wait for him and counterpunch him. No matter what, I believed Ali would figure him out.”
— Larry Holmes
And if matters couldn’t get worse, Foreman suffered a cut above his right eye while sparring nine days before the fight, which forced a postponement. At the time, no one knew for how long. Until that was determined, Mobutu wouldn’t allow either fighter to leave the country because he feared no one would return. The bout was rescheduled for 4 a.m. on Oct. 30.
The concert dates, however, weren’t moved because many of the artists could not afford to stay for the additional weeks due to commitments back in the States. But the first day of the festival had a few second-guessing because of the sparse turnout.
“We were very disappointed, and we couldn’t understand why nobody came,” Stromberg said. “We learned that people lived in dire fear of Mobutu, and they weren’t aware if he had given his blessing to our concert. Without that, they wouldn’t dare show up. Once one of our representatives talked to him, he gave his blessings, and the stadium was packed for the next two days.”
And the packed stadium and music became an even bigger blessing for the musicians, especially for Nesbert “Stix” Hooper of The Crusaders.
“It was very emotional being in Africa for the first time and sharing the stage with so many great legendary artists,” Hooper said. “It was also special to meet Ali, an iconic figure, who appreciated the music and who represented the Black community with such respectability around the world.”
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| Defending world champion George Foreman (left) hits Muhammad Ali (right) with a left jab during the WBA/WBC championship bout in Kinshasa, Zaire, on Oct. 30, 1974. BETTMANN/GETTY IMAGES |
Despite Foreman’s cut, Ali remained a decided underdog at 4-1. Many considered Ali an aging fighter at 32. Foreman, 25, destroyed two opponents who defeated Ali, and Foreman had one of the greatest knockout percentages in history. Broadcaster Howard Cosell, along with many of the reporters who attended the fight, picked Foreman to win convincingly. There were even doubts in Ali’s camp.
But Ali’s sparring partner Larry Holmes, who would become world heavyweight champion four years later in 1978, thought otherwise.
“Since I ran, trained, and sparred with Ali, I was confident he’d win,” Holmes said. “George was big and strong, but I knew Ali would wait for him and counterpunch him. No matter what, I believed Ali would figure him out.”
The fight was the world’s most-watched live television broadcast at the time, with a reported 1 billion viewers worldwide. NFL great Jim Brown, boxing legend Joe Frazier, and English journalist David Frost were commentators for the closed-circuit broadcast.
Shortly after Ali and Foreman entered the ring, and while the referee explained the rules (as Ali taunted Foreman), the bell rang for Round 1. And, surprisingly, after bragging about how he would dance against Foreman, Ali met him flat-footed in the center of the ring and connected with consecutive right leads, which is an insult to an opponent. It takes longer for a right-hand lead to reach its target, which should give a fighter time to move out of the way, but not Foreman. Thirty seconds into the round, Ali moved to the corner in a defensive posture. He blocked shots and avoided punches by leaning against the ropes. Ali fought like this for the next two rounds, flat-footed, and fighting off the ropes, despite cries from his corner to move.
It was much of the same in the third and fourth rounds, but this time Ali grabbed Foreman around the neck and pulled him down to tire him out, similar to what he did to Frazier in their first fight. The pattern was clear by the sixth round. Foreman started to tire himself out after consistently throwing wild punches. Ali conserved his energy until he picked his spots to pour it on. Ali’s “rope-a-dope” strategy was born.
Ali started to pour it on in the sixth round with three crisp jabs to Foreman’s head. He rested on the ropes in the middle of the round. He went back to the ropes in the seventh round and attacked Foreman in the later part of the round, ending with a right cross that knocked the sweat off Foreman’s head.
In the eighth round, a desperate Foreman came out swinging wild punches that mostly missed. With less than 30 seconds left in the round, Ali went to work. A left, right and a left knocked Foreman off balance. Ali stepped in with a shot to the head that sent Foreman spinning before he tumbled to the canvas. He was counted out, and Ali became the second fighter to regain the heavyweight title for the second time.
Shortly after the fight, Foreman talked about his water being drugged; the ropes being too loose, which helped Ali lean away from his punches; and a quick count by the referee. He changed his tune in the 1989 documentary Champions Forever.
“Everybody needs an excuse,” Foreman said in the documentary. “I couldn’t live with myself without an excuse. I blamed it on the ropes, I blamed it on everything. That [loss] devastated me.”
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| Challenger Muhammad Ali (right) raises his arms in victory after George Foreman (left) is counted out by referee Zack Clayton, ending the WBA/WBC championship bout in Kinshasa, Zaire, on Oct. 30, 1974. AP PHOTO, FILE |
It took some time, but Foreman recovered from the defeat. He fought four more years, until 1978, before retiring. After a 10-year layoff, he returned in 1988 and became the oldest heavyweight champion at 45, 20 years after losing the title to Ali.
The victory was a monumental lift for Ali and his legend. It happened 10 years after he won the title over Sonny Liston in 1964. Ali was a champion once again. And, 50 years later, his moment in history remains inspiring.
“Boxing had a lot of exciting moments, but this fight is what it did for the people,” Izenberg said. “It’s what Ali’s victory did for the guy who was supposed to get promoted to foreman at the shop, got appendicitis, missed out, but he recovered and came back. It’s what Ali’s victory did for the kid struggling in college, but he sticks it out, finishes and gets his degree. It was a fight for underdogs, and that’s when Ali was at his best.”
Several events will take place this week in Kinshasa to celebrate the Rumble in the Jungle. One includes Fight for Peace (Arts Envoy), a cultural project initiated by the U.S. Embassy, and a Rumble in the Jungle 8K Peace Run.
“Celebrating this event not only honors the memory of this iconic sporting and cultural moment, but it also reminds us of the city’s importance in global history, particularly in the context of the fight against racial segregation and the emancipation of Black people,” said David Midesso Scheby, a cultural operator and U.S. Embassy grantee. “It also serves to pass on these values to the new generations and strengthen national pride.”
- Branson Wright
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Branson Wright is a filmmaker and freelance multimedia sports reporter.
