The Democratic Republic of the Congo junior national team sparked a state of controversy on social media, after it won the African Under-16 School Championship title, on Sunday, which was held in the Congolese capital, Kinshasa, with the participation of 6 teams.
Gianni Infantino, President of FIFA, crowned the hosts with the title of the tournament that prioritizes education and social development in the African continent, in the presence of Patrice Motsepe, President of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and Fatima Samoura, Secretary General of FIFA.
Democratic Republic of the Congo national football team
The media and social network users questioned the real age of the Democratic Republic of the Congo players, especially in light of the difference in physical fitness in the final against Senegal, who lost 3-1, in addition to the difference in the physical structure and muscle mass of the two teams, while the number 10 player won And captain Elia Balamwabo in the Congo national team became very famous in the past hours, after he was chosen as the best player in the tournament, and his photos were widely circulated.
The Congolese captain won the best player award
The Ghanaian newspaper kickgh said on its website: Pictures of Senegal’s U-16 team showed that they had already participated in their real age, but the Democratic Republic of Congo raised doubts and shocked the world by involving mature men.
Infantino said in statements to the official FIFA website after the award: I am very happy, to see these children smile, this is the beauty of football, the Democratic Republic of the Congo did a great job in organizing this event and it is the first edition of a great competition that will become one of the biggest competitions, not Only in Africa, but all over the world as well.
Senegal national team
This tournament was held over two days at the Martyrs Stadium in Kinshasa, and saw the participation of six countries in two editions for women and juniors (South Africa, Benin, Congo, Ethiopia, Morocco and Senegal).