Exclusive: Entertainer Mukoko in race for Lupopo versus Sundowns

For neutrals who derive fascination from on-field drama, the good news is that crowd-puller Dieumerci Mukoko could return for FC Saint-Éloi Lupopo FC’s match against Mamelodi Sundowns in February.

The Congolese side will host the South African Premier Soccer League giants on the weekend of February 6, 2026 in a CAF Champions’ League Group D clash.

For South Africans fans, who like Mukoko’s antics such as rolling to the ground after a slight contact, provocative wide-eyed and chest-up celebrations while marching, the assurance is that the defender could be available for the match.

Why Mukoko hasn’t been available for Lupopo

In an exclusive interview with Pan-Africa Football on Monday, Saint-Éloi Lupopo FC spokesperson Daniel Ndongo said the right-back was set to return to training after being bedridden due to an illness.

“He fell ill soon after the match in South Africa [against Sundowns in November 2025], and he went to be with his family in Kinshasa, but now he has recovered,” Ndongo said.

“He has been given permission by doctors to start training, and very soon you will see him. May be, he will be part of the squad to face Mamelodi Sundowns.”

The right-back has been out of action for three months due to an illness and suspension from the CAF Champions League matches for violent conduct against Orlando Pirates since October 2025.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) hit Mukoko with a two-match ban for misconduct during Lupopo’s dramatic qualification battle against Pirates at Orlando Stadium in South Africa.

Lupopo ultimately secured their place in the group stage after a hard-fought tie. Though they lost the second leg 3-0, their identical 3-0 victory in the first leg meant the aggregate score was tied at 3-3, allowing the Congolese team to advance after a tense penalty shootout.

That second leg, however, was marred by dramatic incidents and volatile behaviour.

Mukoko was at the heart of the controversy, with his actions including an attempted headbutt on Pirates’ Masindi Nemtajela and a deliberate stomp on Oswin Appollis’ heel.

His provocative, animated celebrations directed at the Pirates bench after winning duels were also flagged as unsporting conduct.

In one of the match’s most theatrical moments, Mukoko dramatically exaggerated a fall after a minor push from Pirates’ Tshepang Moremi, rolling on the turf while clutching his face as if hit by a train, an action that drew widespread criticism.

CAF suspended Mukoko for two Champions League competition matches for “assault and unsporting behaviour against an opponent [Appollis], in accordance with Articles 11 and 123 of the CAF Disciplinary Code.”

The suspension immediately ruled Mukoko out of the crucial fixture against Sundowns at Loftus Versfeld Stadium and subsequent group stage matches against Al Hilal SC in November and versus MC Alger on Sunday.