DR Congo manager loses father as heartbreaking announcement made in press conference

DR Congo announced the passing of manager Sebastien Desabre’s father during his post-match press conference.

Desabre appeared in front of the media after their 2-1 defeat against England in the last 32 of the World Cup.

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“We regret to announce that the coach has lost his father,” the press officer said. “My deepest condolences.”

Desabre expressed his thanks and then walked away from the table.

It is not clear when he was told the news, although he looked shocked as the press officer made the announcement.

DR Congo run at the World Cup

The 2026 World Cup was DR Congo’s first tournament appearance since 1974, when they competed as Zaire.

A 1-1 draw against Portugal delivered a strong start to their campaign in Group K before a 1-0 defeat to Colombia.

DR Congo were then 3-1 winners over Uzbekistan and finished as the best-ranked third-placed team to reach the knockout stages.

They made a dream start to their last 32 clash against England when Brian Cipenga fired past Jordan Pickford.

As the clock ticked down during the second half, it looked as though DR Congo were going to pull off a mighty upset.

However, Harry Kane brought England level with a header and then scored the winner four minutes from time.

England will now face Mexico in the last 16 at 1am UK time on Monday.

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Desabre has been in charge of the DR Congo team since 2022.

He had previous managerial stints in countries such as France, Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Tunisia, Angola and Egypt.

The 49-year-old Frenchman was also the Uganda national team boss and managed them at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations.

Desabre joined DR Congo after they missed out on qualification for the 2022 World Cup.

They finished second in their qualifying group for this summer’s tournament to advance to the second round.

A 1-0 win over Cameroon sent them to the final against Nigeria, and they won 4-3 on penalties to officially qualify.