{"id":3146,"date":"2026-06-28T04:09:54","date_gmt":"2026-06-28T04:09:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/reliablemovingcrews.com\/?p=3146"},"modified":"2026-06-28T04:09:54","modified_gmt":"2026-06-28T04:09:54","slug":"dr-congo-superfan-denied-us-visa-to-support-team-at-world-cup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/reliablemovingcrews.com\/?p=3146","title":{"rendered":"DR Congo superfan denied US visa to support team at World Cup"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
ATLANTA, June 27 (Reuters) – Democratic Republic of Congo superfan Michel Kuka Mboladinga will miss their key World Cupclash against Uzbekistan on Saturday because he was not granted a \u200bUnited States visa.<\/div>\n
Mboladinga rose to prominence at the Africa Cup of Nations \u200cfinals in Morocco at the turn of the year.<\/div>\n
He cut a unique figure on the terraces as he stood motionless throughout DR Congo\u2019s matches in tribute to his country’s first Prime Minister, \u200bPatrice Lumumba, a revered figure in the country after being killed by firing \u200bsquad in 1961.<\/div>\n
Mboladinga bears a remarkable resemblance to Lumumba, wearing colourful \u2060suits with his country’s colours.<\/div>\n
But after supporting the Congolese in their last match in \u200bMexico, he will not be in Atlanta for their must-win game as they look \u200bto advance to the last 32.<\/div>\n
Congolese Ambassador in Washington, Kapinga Yvette Ngandu told Reuters she hoped he would get a visa if DR Congo progressed to the knockout stage of the World Cup.<\/div>\n
\u201cI \u200bhope he brings his own brand of support to the team,\u201d she said \u200bon Saturday.<\/div>\n
Nicknamed \u2018Lumumba Vea\u2019 because of his tribute, Mboladinga raises his arm to strike a pose similar \u200cto one \u2060held by Lumumba in a statue of him in the capital Kinshasa.<\/div>\n
In stark contrast to the vibrant singing and cheering fans around him, Mboladinga is still throughout the game.<\/div>\n
His unique support won him worldwide notoriety and when he got back from Morocco \u200bin January he \u200bwas gifted a jeep \u2060by the Congolese government.<\/div>\n
Mboladinga was in the stands for DR Congo’s last game against Colombia in Guadalajara, which they lost 1-0 on \u200bTuesday, after belatedly arriving at the World Cup to bring \u200bhis unique \u2060brand of support.<\/div>\n
Mboladinga\u2019s arrival at the World Cup was delayed following restrictions put in place for travellers from the DR Congo due to the Ebola outbreak in the country.<\/div>\n
The number \u2060of confirmed \u200bEbola cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo \u200bhas increased to 1,203, including 321 deaths, government data showed on Friday.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Democratic Republic of Congo superfan Michel Kuka Mboladinga will miss their key World Cupclash against Uzbekistan on Saturday because he was not granted a \u200bUnited States visa.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3145,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[189,190,167,62,168],"class_list":["post-3146","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-colombia-world-cup-soccer","tag-dr-congo-world-cup-soccer","tag-portugal-world-cup-soccer","tag-soccer","tag-uzbekistan-world-cup-soccer"],"yoast_head":"\nDR Congo superfan denied US visa to support team at World Cup - Reliable Moving Crews<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/reliablemovingcrews.com\/?p=3146\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"DR Congo superfan denied US visa to support team at World Cup - 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