The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has been experiencing a difficult situation since last December regarding its national football championship for the 2022-2023 sports season. The financial means are not sufficient to help clubs and officials travel. This situation has caused the championship to be suspended for six months, with several consequences for players and officials.
The poor form of local players is linked to the lack of playing time
The lack of competition greatly affects the players. According to tactical expert José Mundele, “in top-level football there are four components: physical, technical, tactical and mental. Competition is the framework in which the player is called upon to develop”. This physical degradation causes a lack of rhythm, the players lose the automatisms and benchmarks of the game. Friendly matches cannot replace an official competition, and the players no longer have adversity in front of them to improve.
The performances of the national team at AFCON 2022 and Congolese clubs in CAF African interclub competitions bear witness to this. The cancellation of the championship season also has an impact on local referees, who are deprived of practice and who cannot claim a continental ranking in the absence of competition.
The economic and social consequences on clubs and officials
The 4 Congolese clubs in CAF African interclub competitions have also been affected by the end of the season. They all finished last in their pool, with the exception of TP Mazembe, which managed to reach the pool stage. Their participation in these club competitions cost these clubs additional costs related to the organization of matches abroad, as the stadiums in their home cities were closed.
Referees, whether international or not, as well as local officials have also been affected by the stoppage of the championship and all other Mexican competitions. Facing the same wave of poverty and lack of work, the latter are the great victims of the cessation of competitions.
More broadly, this situation has economic and social impacts, because the clubs no longer receive the income generated by ticketing, partnerships, and television rights, thus leading to a precarious situation for many players in the Congolese sports community.
Indeed, the absence of public funds to support the national football championship shows how much the government needs to support the sport more in the country. This would help support clubs and officials financially. The initiators of the Red Card Campaign against human trafficking and sexual violence in sport call on the Congolese authorities for more support for sport.
In short, the end of the 2022-2023 sports season of the national football championship in the DRC has consequences that go beyond the sport itself. The consequences affect the economy, the social life of many people, officials, players and even referees. Public authorities should therefore make a greater commitment to financially support national sport and relaunch competitions.