DR Congo striker Cédric Bakambu has publicly called out Iberia Airlines over the loss of his luggage at the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.

 The Moroccan authorities bear no responsibility for his predicament.

Bakambu, on x (formerly Twitter) revealed that nearly two weeks after arriving in Morocco for the continental tournament, he is still without his personal belongings despite being fully involved in matches and team activities at the Africa Cup of Nations.

The Congolese forward said he had received three separate confirmations from Moroccan authorities that his luggage had been located, yet nothing has been delivered to him.

“I find myself having to compete in the AFCON deprived of all my personal belongings,” Bakambu lamented, describing the situation as frustrating and professionally disruptive at a time when players are expected to be fully focused on performance.

The striker was emphatic in absolving the host nation of any blame, stating that the issue lies solely with Iberia Airlines, which handled his travel.

Morocco has earned widespread praise for its organisation, infrastructure and logistics at the tournament, with teams and officials commending the host country for smooth operations since the start of the competition.

Bakambu’s comments highlight the often unseen travel and logistical challenges faced by players at major international tournaments, even as the football action continues on the pitch.

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Two Equatorial Guinea players have been banned for insulting a referee at the Africa Cup of Nations and Burkina Faso captain Bertrand Traore was fined for post-match remarks, the respective football federations said on Wednesday.

Equatorial Guinea captain Carlos Akakpo and midfielder Josete Miranda have each been banned for four games for swearing at referee Messie Nkounou of Congo after their 1-0 loss to Sudan in Casablanca on Sunday, which left them bottom of Group E. Two of the matches have been suspended for a period of one year, the federation said.

The suspensions begin on Wednesday when Equatorial Guinea face Algeria in their last group match in Rabat.

Traore, who plays for Sunderland, was fined $10,000 for “offensive remarks” he made in an interview after Algeria’s 1-0 win over Burkina Faso in Rabat on Sunday.

“It’s a shame, we lost 1-0 to a penalty. I think there was a penalty on me in the very first action of the match,” Traore said. “The referees are ruining the game. And then, at the end, the referee (swear word) me.”

Traore expressed regret after being charged by the Confederation of African Football, the Burkinabe federation said.

-Reuters

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A DR Congo fan known as ‘Lumumba’ stood motionless in the stands for the entire match involving his country and Senegal at the on-going Africa Cup of Nations on Saturday mirroring a statue of the country’s independence leader, Patrice Lumumba.

Michel Kuka Mboladinga, dressed smartly in jacket and tie and looking very like his country’s first Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba, has stood still on top of a makeshift podium at every DR Congo group match in tribute to the politician who was assassinated in 1961.

Nicknamed “Lumumba” because of his tribute act, Kuka Mboladinga sets up his podium in the stands at the start of every game, and raises his arm to strike a pose similar to one held by Lumumba in a statue of him in his country’s capital Kinshasa.

His resolve was tested when DR Congo’s first group game against Benin on December 23 lasted almost 115 minutes due to time added on, but he held his position until the final whistle and will get at least one more chance to do it when his team play Algeria in the next round.

-Reuters

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