DR Congo superfan 'Lumumba vea' denied visa to watch World Cup
Mboladinga was denied a visa despite several frantic efforts to reach the tournament.
Congolese football superfan Michel Kuka Mboladinga, widely known as “Lumumba Vea,” has told supporters he will not be able to travel to Mexico to back the national team, after he was denied a visa.
The 53-year-old supporter went viral for performing as a human statue during the last AFCON tournament in Morocco, maintaining a silent, motionless salute throughout DR Congo’s matches.
In a heartfelt social media message, Mboladinga detailed a frantic, multi-country effort to reach the tournament.
“It is with deep regret that I inform you that I will ultimately not be traveling to Mexico,” he wrote, explaining that despite efforts in Kenya — including intervention from the country’s sports ministry — visa arrangements fell through, forcing him and fellow presenters to return to Kinshasa.
“I made the decision to return to Kinshasa in order to support our ambassadors in another way,” he said, adding: “From near or far, we remain united behind our Leopards.”
Lumumba Vea's selling point is his uncanny resemblance to Patrice Lumumba, the Democratic Republic of Congo’s first prime minister and a central figure in the country’s fight for independence. Lumumba Vea says he pays tribute to his country’s national football team by mimicking Lumumba's iconic statue posture in Kinshasa.