Minutes after Congo DR’s exit from the 2026 FIFA World Cup against England, head coach Sébastien Desabre endured a heartbreaking moment when he was informed of his father’s death in his post-match press conference.What started as a post-match press chat took a dramatic turn after Congo DR’s 2-1 Round of 32 defeat to England at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium.Desabre was answering questions about his side’s performance before the team’s communicator interrupted the proceedings with a powerful announcement.In French, the press officer said: “Thank you, but we are announcing that the teacher has lost his father.” My sincere condolences.”The room fell silent.Footage of the moment, which went viral on social media, showed a stunned Desabre looking on in disbelief before quietly replying, “Merci” (“Thank you”), getting up from his seat and leaving the press conference as it ended.It is not known whether the 49-year-old was informed of his father’s death before entering the media room, but his reaction suggests that the announcement came as a shock.SEE:
The oldest World Cup campaign ends on a sad note
The tragic moment came just minutes later when Congo DR saw a surprise FIFA World Cup the journey is over.Playing in their first World Cup match, the African team got off to a dream start when Brian Cipenga scored his international goal after just seven minutes to stun England.However, captain Harry Kane produced another trademark save, scoring twice in the final to seal England’s 2-1 victory and book a Round of 16 tie with hosts Mexico.Despite the loss, Desabre praised his players for their fight and the progress they made in the famous game.“We are disappointed because we really believed we could do it. We played well. At the end of the game, we gave away two chances, and one of the best players in the world scored two goals against us. It’s a shame,” said Desabre before announcing the sad news.“We have to thank the players for their good performance, they have learned a lot by playing with teams like this. This is how football in Congo DR is built: maybe we didn’t know a bit, but that’s how the game is. We are learning, and we continue to improve. We will continue, calmly,” he added.Desabre led Congo DR to their first FIFA World Cup appearance since 1974, when the country – then known as Zaire – became the first sub-Saharan African nation to take part in the tournament. Leopards also finished first in the league, making the campaign one of the most successful in the country’s football history.
