Shekaru 52 na jiran sun ƙare
Rabin karni na azaba ya wasannin ƙwallon ƙafa na jiransu ya DR Congo ya shiga zagaye na kutsen farko sun kawo ƙarshen da suka jira. DR Congo sun kai matakin raundi na 32 na Kofin Duniya a karon farko a tarihinsu, inda za su fuskanci Ingila — wasa da da ba a iya tunaninsa yayin shekaru 52 da suka raba bayyanarsu biyu a gasar.
Bayyanarsu ta farko da kuma ta kadai ita ce ta 1974 a ƙarƙashin sunan Zaire, wanda ya ƙare da kunya: sun sha kashi sau uku a matakin rukuni, ba tare da zura ƙwallon guda ɗaya ba, kuma an doke su 9-0 da Yugoslavia. Wani lokaci guda ya dawwama a ƙwaƙwalwar ƙwallon ƙafa — dan wasan gefe na dama Mwepu Ilunga ya yi gudu ya fita daga bango na tsaro ya bugawa ƙwallon lokacin da Brazil ke shirye-shiryen kai bugun daga kai tsaye kyauta. Duniya ta ɗauki wannan a matsayin rashin kwarewa, amma a gaskiya dai jawabi ne na siyasa. An sanar da ƴan wasan cewa ba za a biya albashunsu ba, kuma Shugaba Mobutu ya yi musu barazana da fitar da su ƙasar idan sun ci gaba da karɓar fiye da kwallaye uku a hannun Brazil. Ilunga na nufin ɓatar da lokaci a kuma a kore shi; an kawai ba shi katin rawaya, Zaire sun sha kashi 3-0, kuma Mobutu ya yanke kudaden da suke ba wa ƙungiyar.
A cikin shekaru da suka biyo baya, rikici, cin hanci da rashawa, da kayayyakin more rayuwa masu taɓarɓarewa sun riƙe al'ummar a gefen duniyar ƙwallon ƙafa. Wannan zamani yanzu ya wuce gaba ɗaya.
Juyin hankali na Desabre
Kocin ƙungiyar Sebastien Desabre, mai shekara 49, ya karɓi ƙungiya da ke cikin rikici lokacin da ya karɓi ragamar mulkin kusan shekaru huɗu da suka wuce. Bafaranshe mai hankali, a aikinsa na 11 na horar da ƙungiya a Afirka, ya jagoranci DR Congo zuwa wasannin Afrika Cup of Nations na jere-jere, ya kai matakin zagaye guda kafin na ƙarshe a 2023, kuma yanzu zuwa raundi na 32 na Kofin Duniya a karon farko.
Aikin Desabre ya dogara ne kan ladabi, sassaucin dabara, da amfani da gwanaye daga al'ummar Kongo da ke waje — kawai 'yan wasa shida kacal daga jerin sunayen Kofin Duniya na yanzu aka haife su waje da Turai. Ya gwada layin tsaro na 'yan wasa biyar kafin gasar, ya tsayar da Portugal 1-1, ya sha kashi 1-0 a hannun Colombia, sannan ya koma 4-4-2 ya doke Uzbekistan 3-1 ya ci gaba da matsayin ɗaya daga cikin mafi kyawun ƙungiyoyin da suka zo na uku.
Rikodinsa ya yi magana da kansa: wasanni 29 ba tare da karɓar kwallon ba a cikin wasanni 57, kuma DR Congo ba ta taɓa sha kashi fiye da kwallo ɗaya ba yayin da 'yan wasanta na Turai suna nan.
Yan wasa da za a lura da su
Kyaftin Chancel Mbemba, da shekara 31, shine ɗan wasan da ya fi buga wa ƙasar wasanni, kuma har yanzu shine ginshiƙin tsaro, duk da kakar wasa biyu a matsayin ɗan wasa na gefen cikin Faransa. Tsohon mai tsaro na Newcastle United yana ƙarshen kwantiraginsa da Lille a wannan rani.
Yoane Wissa ya kashe kakar wasa ta farko mai takaici a Newcastle United bayan ya koma a kudi har zuwa fam miliyan 55, rauni mai tsanani a gwiwa ya iyakance shi zuwa farawa takwas kawai. Duk da haka, ya isa Kofin Duniya yana cikin siffa, ya raba matsayi na biyu a matsayin mafi yawan masu zura kwallo daga Afirka a matakin rukuni da kwallaye uku. «Mun dawo da shi cikin mafi kyawun yanafinsa,» in ji koci Desabre.
Cedric Bakambu, mafi tsufa a cikin ƙungiyar da shekara 35, har yanzu yana ɗaya daga cikin mafi haɗari daga cikin maharan; ya zura kwallaye huɗu a cancantar shiga, kuma yana kusa da zama mafi yawan mai zura kwallo a tarihin ƙungiyar.
Noah Sadiki, ɗan shekara 21 wanda aka haife shi Belgium, ya ƙara sauri a layin tsakiya tun da ya buga wa ƙungiyar ƙasa a karon farko a watan Satumba 2024. Ya yi kamar gano wani sabon abu a Sunderland a farashin fam miliyan 15, amma ya rasa 'yan wasa biyu na farko na Kofin Duniya cikin mamaki.
Wani mai goyon baya na musamman
Babban mai goyon baya Michel Kuka Mboladinga, wanda ya zama sanannen a duniyar yanar gizo a Afrika Cup of Nations saboda ƙaunarsa ta ƙasar, an haɗa shi cikin wakilcin hukuma na DR Congo a Kofin Duniya — a buƙatar 'yan wasan da kansu. Tun 2013, yana sanya kayan ado masu launi da kwance a cikin tsittsige yana kwaikwayon mutum-mutumin jagoran juyi Patrice Lumumba da hannunsa ɗaya a sama, tsawon wasan gaba ɗayansa.
