DR Congo league in disarray: Two teams shun fixtures

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)’s domestic league was thrown in disarray on Wednesday, 15th April 2026. Two teams failed to honour their respective Linafoot/ Illico Cash Ligue 1 fixtures.

Defending champions FC Saint-Éloi Lupopo did not show up for their home fixture against CS Don Bosco at TP Mazembe Stadium in Lubumbashi.

#Ligue1 #NewSogerTPM
Tout était prêt, nos Corbeaux étaient sur la pelouse… mais l’adversaire s’est présenté à 5 ! 📷 ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/0nGEzByL91

— TP Mazembe (@TPMazembe) April 15, 2026

This happened despite that the 2025-2026 CAF Champions League representatives for Congo had confirmed their participation in the match. Don Bosco had also turned up for the Linafoot Ligue 1 match.

Why Saint-Éloi Lupopo shunned match

Reports indicate that Guy Bukasa’s team, which recently bundled Orlando Pirates FC out of the Champions League preliminary qualifying round, was facing administrative challenges.

FootRDC website reports that Lupopo players boycotted training in the build up to the game.

There was also drama at Kibassa Maliba Stadium where only five AS New Soger FC players reported for their match against TP Mazembe. The hosts’ insufficient playing squad meant that the game could not take place.

What no-show means to Linafoot Ligue 1

In an update, the Ravens confirmed that “everything was ready, our Ravens were on the pitch… but the opponent showed up with 5.”

Consequently, Lupopo and Soger FC might forfeit points from their respective assignments and compromise their league standings.

Interestingly, both teams that shunned their assignments are from the same stream A of the league.

Bukasa’s team sits in second place, 10 points behind TP Mazembe in stream A of the Linafoot Ligue 1, each after having played 29 games. New Soger, on the other hand, occupies 12th position.