Football: five young people from TP Mazembe take advantage of a tournament in Italy to flee

While TP Mazembe participated for the second time in the Lazio Cup, five of its youngsters from the club of them fled and are still not found in Italy. The Lubumbashi club issued a lengthy statement accusing the parents and other accomplices in the DRC and Europe. Investigations are underway and these young people are reportedly being hunted down.

Young people from the Katumbi Football Academy train on the TP Mazembe field in Lubumbashi on May 12, 2017 (illustration image). AFP - AGNES BUN

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According to the spirit of the press release of the club of Lubumbashi, the participation in the Lazio Cup, this international tournament of the under-17s, was honorable and it is the flight of the five players that passes, like an oil stain on the prestigious name of the all-powerful Mazembe.

The fugitives, Christ Kiwongi and his colleagues, did not even wait for the end of the tournament to set sail, which leads the leaders to suspect their parents and possible contacts outside the academy of being complicit in their escape.

According to the management of the Katumbi Football Academy, these young people are already wanted by the Italian police. Jean-Claude Loboko, director of the training centre and head of the delegation, is still in Italy to facilitate the police investigation. "We were unfortunately in a hotel where there were a lot of people. We were even with another Italian team, Ancona, who were with us. We asked that the emergency doors be closed, it was not done. Then there were children who took risks, including one who went through the window, who jumped from the first floor, who put his life in danger, "says the educator.

For him, everything is done not only to find them, but also and above all to prevent them from finding new clubs in Europe. "There is no question that the Almighty Mazembe, who will have provided their technical and social training, will lose out," he said.

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  • Football
  • DRC
  • Sports
  • Italy