he emphasizes.
Gabriel Zakuani wasted no time in rejecting an opportunity to co-commentate on the upcoming World Cup match between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and England. The former defender for Peterborough and Leyton Orient, who captains the Leopards, has been a familiar voice on BBC Radio 5 Live throughout the tournament but could not bear the thought of working during such a pivotal match.
“I was down to do the England game, but I just said: ‘There’s too much emotion in it. I won’t be able to do it,’” he shares. “I did the Colombia v DR Congo and I could just feel myself getting too attached. So I had to say that I don’t want to do any more Congolese games.”
Instead, Zakuani plans to watch the game surrounded by the vibrant local community in West Green Road, Tottenham, filled with pride. The 40-year-old has been integral in assembling Sébastien Desabre’s squad from the Congolese diaspora across Europe and was present during their pre-tournament training camps in Belgium and Spain. Their opening match against Portugal ended in a 1-1 draw, marking the DRC’s first World Cup appearance since 1974, when they were known as Zaire and became the first sub-Saharan African nation to qualify for the finals.
Confidence has surged since their comeback from a goal down against Uzbekistan, setting the stage for a match against Thomas Tuchel’s England. Zakuani believes they can draw inspiration from Ghana’s earlier performance against England.
“There are holes in England. I think it’s been glaring,”
“When you sit back against England, they struggle to open you up. I don’t think they selected players who are capable of doing that on a regular basis. That’s what we’ll exploit. If you stop Jude Bellingham, I think you stop a lot of England. We’re very athletic and we’re very good defensively. And I think we’ve got a bit more than Ghana going forward. “So I would say if we can hold them for as long as possible, we will get chances. And we just have to be clinical when we do get those chances. That’s the way I see us beating England.”
Both teams will feature familiar faces, with Newcastle’s Yoane Wissa, Noah Sadiki of Sunderland, and Aaron Wan-Bissaka likely to start. Interestingly, Axel Tuanzebe attended the same school, Ashton on Mersey in Greater Manchester, as Marcus Rashford during their youth careers at Manchester United. The Burnley defender has performed remarkably well throughout the tournament.
Only six players in the squad were born in the DRC, including Fiston Mayele, who netted against Uzbekistan and transitioned from the domestic league to play in Tanzania before moving to Egypt in 2021. Zakuani played a significant role in ensuring Wissa, Tuanzebe, and the promising Sadiki, who has attracted interest from Chelsea and United after a stellar first season in the Premier League, committed to the Leopards. “I was assistant manager of the under-20s for a couple of years, and he [Sadiki] was in that squad. And straight away I was on WhatsApp to the [senior team] manager saying, this player shouldn’t be here, he should be with you,” Zakuani recalls regarding the Belgian-born midfielder.
“I had a long conversation with Sadiki and realised early on that he’s very passionate about playing for Congo. He’s so driven that he believed he should have been in the Belgian squad already at that point as a teenager. But he wanted to make the switch to Congo and he just felt that something was tugging him towards Congo.”
This trend is becoming more common, as emerging talents like Morocco’s Ayyoub Bouaddi and Senegal’s Ibrahim Mbaye have opted to turn their backs on France ahead of the tournament. Wan-Bissaka needed some persuasion, even after Zakuani and Desabre visited his parents’ home in Purley to discuss his potential switch over coffee. The irony of Tuchel’s struggles at right-back during the World Cup has not gone unnoticed, particularly as the 28-year-old previously played three times for England’s Under-21s.
“Aaron’s had a fantastic tournament,” Zakuani comments. “I think he was unlucky not to be part of the England setup, especially not the year before last he got West Ham’s player of the year. When he didn’t get that England call-up, that’s when he said: ‘No, this is enough now.’ He was at that age where he needed to play international football.”
After finishing just behind Senegal in their qualifying group and eliminating heavyweight teams like Cameroon and Nigeria in the playoffs, the DRC has faced a challenging path to the World Cup. However, Zakuani is optimistic that a team forged in adversity can pull off a stunning upset.
“That journey has probably stood us in good stead in terms of getting through the playoffs, getting used to playing under pressure consistently. The unity is there for everyone to see,”
“Inside that dressing room, they believe they can get a result. I believe there could be a scalp here. I’m not just saying it because I’m on the Congolese side. I think it’s going to be a tighter match than everyone presumes.”
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