While TP Mazembe participated for the second time in the Lazio Cup, five of its youngsters from the club fled and are still not found in Italy. The Lubumbashi club issued a long statement accusing the parents and other accomplices in the DRC and in Europe. Investigations are underway and these young people are being hunted down.
According to the spirit of the press release from the Lubumbashi club, participation in the Lazio Cup, this international under-17 tournament, was honorable and it is the escape of the five players that passes, like a stain of oil on the prestigious name of the almighty Mazembe.
The escapees, Christ Kiwongi and his colleagues, did not even wait for the end of the tournament to set sail, which led the leaders to suspect their parents and possible contacts outside the academy of being accomplices 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 center and head of the delegation, is still staying 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 for the emergency doors to be closed, it was not done. Then there were children who took risks, including one who fell through the window, who jumped from the first floor, who put his life in danger », Specifies 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 ensured their technical and social training will find themselves losing “, he argued.