In an article published on an African media, Romain Molina discusses sexual abuse scandals in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
In an article published on the website Sport News Africa, Romain Molina tackled a heavy case implicating Congolese officials (coaches and managers) in cases of sexual abuse and harassment of underage players. In this article, he explains that the African media would have gathered a total of ten audios sent on Whatsapp by the officials, with “My little one, if you want to sign the contract, you have to make sacrifices. You have to give us your ass. It’s very simple, you know what to do” as a notable example.
Although made aware of some of the abuses suffered by several child and adult players in December 2020, several members of the Congolese Federation (FECOFA) allegedly denied their presence at a meeting which was intended to discuss these subjects, while several witnesses claim the opposite.
⚽?? [Enquête #SNA]
Football in the DRC plagued by a real pedophile network that has been raging for twenty yearsThe investigation of @Romain_Molina reveals sexual blackmail and other abuse of minors, supporting testimonies ?https://t.co/xXN2rBC4i9
— Sport News Africa (@snewsafrica) November 3, 2022
Former coach accused of blackmail
Molina then evokes the case Bertin Makuformer coach of Racing Club de Kinshasa and of Lupowho is accused of sexual blackmail by several of his players who state that he “had to sleep to play”, which he denies. He would also have claimed the bonuses received by certain players to agree to have them play.
And if certain authorities turn a blind eye to these various cases, Herita Ilungaa former Congolese player and now president of the Union of Congolese Footballers, tries to bring these scandals to light. “I received several testimonies and evidence of these abuses. Coaches who ask kids to sleep with them, to make sacrifices. I have been working on my side for a while to list this and see possible actions to clean up our sport and allow children to evolve in a safe environment”he explained.
A coach caught on the facts
The former captain of the DRC Selection Youssouf Mulumbu explains meanwhile that a former coach – Guy Roger Limolo – had been seen in action in the toilets of the Tata Raphaël stadium and had still been able to continue to exercise as a coach without problem.