Congo鈥檚 famous living statue 鈥淟umumba Vea鈥� will miss the World Cup playoff against Jamaica because he was unable to get a visa in time.
Michel Nkuka Mboladinga, who gained fame during the Africa Cup of Nations for posing as a statue of Congo鈥檚 assassinated independence hero Patrice Lumumba for the entirety of games, traveled to Kenya and then Ethiopia in a bid to get a visa to attend Tuesday鈥檚 playoff in Guadalajara, Mexico.
Despite his efforts, he ran out of time.
鈥淯nfortunately, even in an emergency situation, obtaining an express visa requires at least one day of processing, and even then, only under specific conditions,鈥� Nkuka Mboladinga wrote on X.
鈥淕iven the importance of the mission 鈥� accompanying the Leopards 鈥� and the length of the journey to Mexico (18 to 22 hours with one stopover, and up to 30 hours with two), it seemed impossible to arrive on time and properly fulfill this mission,鈥� he wrote. 鈥淚 therefore decided to return to Kinshasa to support our ambassadors in a different way.鈥�
Journalist Gr茅vy Tambwe, who translated for Nkuka Mboladinga during an in January, confirmed that the social media post came from Nkuka Mboladinga.
鈥淲e鈥檙e a bit heartbroken by this episode but it鈥檚 OK, we remain in touch with the national team and we鈥檒l watch the match together with the other supporters and Michel will perform even if it鈥檚 at a distance,鈥� Tambwe told The AP.
Nkuka Mboladinga became a social media star at the Africa Cup for posing as a statue of Lumumba on a pedestal with his right hand raised and staying entirely still for the team鈥檚 games.
Lumumba is widely hailed as the nationalist activist who helped to end Belgium鈥檚 colonial rule over Congo in 1960. He became the new independent country鈥檚 first prime minister and was seen as one of Africa鈥檚 most promising new leaders, but he was killed within a year during a struggle against a Belgian-backed secessionist movement in the mineral-rich Katanga region.
A Belgian court in March ordered a 93-year-old for the assassination. Etienne Davignon, who previously denied any wrongdoing, is the last living among 10 Belgians suspected of involvement in the killing and has been charged with 鈥減articipation in war crimes鈥� for his role in the 鈥渦nlawful detention and transfer鈥� of Lumumba.
Congo reached the last 16 of the Africa Cup. After being eliminated by Algeria, the Leopards’ attention quickly . If Congo does beat Jamaica in their playoff, it will be the second-to-last team to qualify for the 48-country competition before in the last playoff in Monterrey, Mexico.
___
AP soccer:
Copyright © 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
