DR Congo coach Desabre learns of father’s death moments after England World Cup loss

FIFA WC26: Congo DR Coach Sebastien Desabre Learns Of Father's Death Moments After World Cup Exit

Atlanta: Just hours after the painful FIFA World Cup 2026 defeat to England, head coach of Congo DR Sebastien Desabre has suffered an even greater personal loss as he learnt about the death of his father during the press conference. Congo had never played a World Cup knockout game before, yet they made a dream start after seven minutes with Cipenga’s first-ever international goal. But Harry Kane equalised, with the England skipper then blasting a brilliant winner in a dramatic turnaround to set a Round of 16 meeting with co-hosts Mexico.After the heartbreaking loss, when Desabre was addressing the media, the family bereavement was confirmed when a media officer said in French, "Thank you, but we are announcing that the coach has lost his father. Sincere condolences.” The press conference was then terminated.Yashasvi Jaiswal Wears 'Lionel Messi' Jersey While Attending Argentina vs Jordan FIFA World Cup Match Desabre, who had initially been answering questions about the match, looked across in complete disbelief before quietly replying, “Thank you" and immediately standing up and walking out of the press conference.Congo had won their first World Cup match 52 years after their first and only appearance at the global showpiece and reached the knockout stages for the first time ever after beating Uzbekistan.Competing at the World Cup for the first time since 1974, when the nation, then known as Zaire, Congo, had become the first sub-Saharan African country ever to qualify for the tournament, it followed Colombia and Portugal, who played out a goalless draw in Miami, into the knockout phase.Why Is Kylian Mbappé Called 'Donatello'? Story Behind The France Star's Famous 'Ninja Turtle' Nickname Amid FIFA World Cup 2026 Heroics After their round of 32 exit, Desabre said, "We’re disappointed because we really believed we could do it. We played well. Towards the end of the match, we conceded two chances, and one of the world’s best players scored two goals against us. It’s a shame. We must congratulate the players on their performance. They’ve gained a lot of experience from playing against teams like this. "That's how football in the Congo DR is built: we may have lacked a little experience, but that’s the nature of the game. We’re learning, and we’re continuing to improve. We’ll carry on, calmly." (Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by FPJ's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)

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DR Congo announce death of head coach’s father moments after England World Cup game

The DR Congo media team confirmed the news during Desabre’s press conference (Picture: Steph Chambers – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images) DR Congo announced the death of their head coach’s father moments after his side’s World Cup defeat to England. The African nation stunned the Three Lions by taking the lead inside seven minutes and almost pulled off an upset for the ages in their last 32 clash. Harry Kane spared England’s blushes, scoring twice late on to send Thomas Tuchel’s side through to the last 16 where they will meet Mexico. DR Congo head coach Sebastien Desabre masterminded his side’s brave performance with his forward-thinking tactics surprising many observers and catching England out until they finally got a grip of the game. Don't miss a World Cup moment England's hero (Picture:Getty) What a rollercoaster this has been. Make sense of the drama with Metro's free daily newsletter, featuring England updates, match previews and exclusive analysis. Sign up now. It was the nation’s first appearance in the World Cup since 1974, then known as Zaire, bowing out having also held Portugal to a draw in their opening match having also beaten Uzbekistan. But the proud moment was accompanied by tragedy with it emerging Desabre’s father had passed away. It was unclear when exactly the DR Congo boss had learned of his father’s passing but a media officer for the nation confirmed the news at the end of his post-match press conference on Wednesday evening. #RDCvsAngleterre : Soirée cauchemar pour les Léopards. En conférence de presse d’après-match, Sébastien Desabre apprend le décès de son père. pic.twitter.com/oe6Xd7qU6a— Marcel Kitambala (@KitambalaMarcel) July 2, 2026 Speaking in French, the media officer said: ‘Thank you but we are announcing that the coach has lost his father. So sincere condolences.’ Desabre’s smiling expression immediately changed to one of shock, responding ‘thank you’ before getting up and leaving. Congo took a shock lead early in the game (Picture: REUTERS) Earlier in the press conference, Desabre spoke with pride over his side’s performance having led England for over an hour. ‘When you represent the national ​team you have to leave a good image behind and this I believe we did,’ ​said Desabre. ‘We are more proud than disappointed. We are disappointed to be leaving the World ​Cup of course but we scored five goals in the tournament and played much ​higher-ranked teams and managed good results.’ Comment now Comments Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add as preferred source

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