Forceful and skillful is the letter from “the entire staff” of the Republic of Congo national football team addressed, on April 11, to the Minister of Sports. Certain that the endless dispute over bonuses is no longer surprising, on the scale of the African continent, and that is why compassion is blunted, footballers begin their missive with a search for respect...
It is through social media that the ministry would have announced the abolition of a bonus participation, after the last rally in March, during which the “Red Devils” faced South Sudan twice. A digital approach denounced as arrogant, from the beginning of the post and well before getting to the bottom of the financial issue.
Sensitive Strings
And the players vibrate other chords of sensations such as love for the flag or the priestly nature of a sporting career: “We love Congo with all our hearts and are proud to represent the colors of the nation (…) Being a footballer is a job [auquel ] life and body are consecrated. We take risks in every training session and game, without knowing that it could be our last.” They even dispel a possible suspicion of greed by stating “spending” from their “pocket” and estimating “that there is more happiness in giving than in receiving”.
More prosaic in the rest of the letter, but not without Remember that we had agreed to lower the value of bonuses, Congo footballers are demanding a “debt that falls within” their “rights”. Referring to “delays in reimbursements, bonuses for employees and players and the coach’s salary”, “the attendance bonus for the last internship” should be paid, before a possible discussion to which they declare themselves “open”. And asking: “They are asking us for results on the ground. But do you do what's necessary out there? »
Quite benevolently, tweeters are concerned about the effect this bad weather could have on future results. And, first of all, the medium-term objectives relating to the next CAN, the final phase of which will take place in five Ivorian cities, from January 13th to February 11th. To be present, the Congolese will face Mali and Gambia, in June next.
