Brazil -- Zaire, Football WC 1974

[Kivoou]

Hey, I don't get it. Why is he kicking the ball although no Brazilian player has touched the ball? I read everything about the historical background and what the dictator was going to do with them, but was it just the pressure?

[TheDarkhorse686]

Can't blame 'em for kicking Brazil's dead balls when they were trying to spare their own...

[imran1985iqbal]

no messing ! love it 

[RevertantCow11]

I like how he tries to defend himself.

[TheMazeOfMystery]

Found out the true story about this situation from the Football Ramble podcasts.

Very sad indeed.

[CaxiasFreguesia]

Zaire player a couple of minutes after the end of the game: "it's written that it's "free kick", isn't it ?

[kentusmaximus]

Zaire player to another.."let's simply not allow them to take the free kick"..funny as shit

[Romanianloop]

Borat should've came on the field and yell "HIGH FIVE"

[serefable]

why yellow card? just why? how about a little conversation? understanding?

[Dazwar4]

i did not know Christopher Revee was a referee

[AlizeCiz]

they didnt understand the rules lmao

[MrAllykirkwood]

@AlizeCiz they understood the rules..they were terrified because if they lost all their games, they were getting punished by their government and maybe not allowed to see their families again..i would have done something like that in that situation, anyone would! no wander they couldn't play well! Everyone says players are under so much pressure now..the livelihoods of the Zaire players were literally under threat in that tournament, clowns they aren't, victims they are

[dsdan83]

@MrAllykirkwood

as fifa was aware of these details, it's absurd zaire was even allowed to partake in the world cup. let alone their perplexing lack of footballing qualities.

[viche21]

why did he do that??

[rogerpenna]

@viche21

I heard they got angry because of the brazilian positioning himself near their wall. They didnt know that was allowed.

Or maybe he thought that when the ref blew the whistle, the first to arrive at the ball could kick it.

[viche21]

@rogerpenna jajaja now i can understand ! thanks that was si funny !

[SteRDLK]

@rogerpenna If you took 5 minutes to perform some research, you would know that he did what he did as the team were threatened by the government after a 9-0 defeat to Yugoslavia, that if they were defeated 4-0 or worse, they wouldn't be allowed to return home.

[rogerpenna]

@SteRDLK

and...?????

that doesnt change the fact they didnt know it was allowed for an opposition player to get near their wall. That is quite known, you should had done your own research. It was told by the referee of the match as well as some of the Zaire players.

[SteRDLK]

@rogerpenna He was time wasting to help him and his teammates! Nothing whatsoever to do with rules. Very condescending and ignorant of you to think that.

[rogerpenna]

@SteRDLK

not condescending. I am a realist. And that is a KNOWN FACT. The referee said that. The Zaire players told the referee that. Brazilian coaches who coached African teams back then said that.

African football has made great strides since that time. No shame in admiting Zaire players had little experience in the tricks used by the best nations in the world at the time. They played little against great teams.

It all changed thanks to Havelange.

[SteRDLK]

@rogerpenna Yeah, right, they won the African Cup of Nations and got to a World Cup despite not knowing the rules of the game! For god sake, do you know how stupid you sound by believing that shite!?!

[italianboy18FQ]

This is hilarious.. But i do feel bad for the situation Mobutu put them into..

[RussWWFC]

A very sad situation is behind this as others have stated due to their maniac president. Thankfully he is now dead

[dsdan83]

@RussWWFC

so a murderous president is behind the players' incapability to grasp the basic rules of football. that's taking it too far my boy.

[q8shiaprince]

poor zaire they realy played 4 they lifes ?

[guineapig55555]

@q8shiaprince

it's spelled "lives" moron

[q8shiaprince]

@guineapig55555

i know duckhead i write it wrong becuz the f above the v so go fuck your self mean bastard

[zzzzaaa0990]

gooooaaaallllll!!! goal goal goal goal lasso !!

[greenzulu7]

nowadays they wouldnt want to back home to the stinking hole which is Kinshasa

[nicola9532]

ahahahahah, che ridere doveva battere la punizione il brasile , invece il giocatore dello zaire quando l' arbrito a fischiato a calciato il pallone lontano dall punto dove doveva tirare il brasile , che bidoni erano allora i giocatori africani , niente a che vedere con ora , ora sono bravissimi , e penso che prima o poi una squadra africana vincera il mondiale , o comunque riuscira a giocarsi la finale di un mondiale.

[myvideoreports]

O cara merecia um cartao vermelho e uma surra de chicote por uma semana pra deixar de ser besta e desrespeitar o melhor TIME DO MUNDO.

[mwemillion]

xd lol

[Satangrandcoeur]

Le zaïrois toujours dans ces chef-d'œuvres, il a toujours un exploit à réaliser.

[papaphilrecords]

Dr congo was not the first african team in the world cup

they was the first ALL black african team in the world cup ...do your research

[xemitigri]

Der ist der Geilst..... ;-)



[vochroust]

what was name of this tv program?

[GHANArocks]

@vochroust i think its the 100 years of fifa dvd or something like that

[cheezydudeable]

i heard about that on the radio and its really sad :'(

so SHUT UP IT IS NOT FUNNY

what would you do if that was you???

[Glozboy22]

@cheezydudeable Probably maintained a rigid 4-man wall and launched a counter-attack

[Moldovan111]

Tare asta, arbitrul e Rainea!!

[jjgillson]

hahaha! thats quality

[uezd]

Молодец, не растерялся

[vdven]

if you watch the World Cup Heaven and Hell part 1 video on Youtube, you'll see from their match against Scotland, Zaire did not really know how to defend against free kicks in the conventional sense.

I doubt this was time-wasting.

[Bangoustine]

uggly man on the video : buy a brain

[robbbie23]

So correct me if I'm wrong, but he was given a yellow card and then the game resumed? That is, the Brazillians never did get thir free kick?

Why doesn't everybody do this? Just make sure a different player kicks it every time, so nobody gets a red card.

[carldec]

@robbbie23

Couple of problems with your strategy there coach... Ya see you only get 3 substitutions so you only have 14 people for the whole game and if you get any other cards you may be playing a man down pretty quickly. its really not a workable way to do things.

[parkovanbasten]

@robbbie23 ofcourse Brazil got to take the free kick.

I assume you're female?

[Vashuzinho]

@robbbie23 are you fucking dumb or what?

[lucaDmm]

penso que lo iba a morder!!

[accuwrist]

Regardless of threats by Mobutu, what is hoofing the ball away going to achieve?

Surely the freekick is just going to have to be re-taken anyway?

[StewartDC8]

lol It was funny when one of my teammates on my league team did it, but this is just dumb...

[hasanrashid90]

which programme is this from??

[texpatinhas]

0:20 was fantastic...

[maupracaray]

Really sad episode. 

[Michthemitch]

hahahahahahaha

[wazreallygood91]

shit what was the final score?! did they lose more than 3-0?! poor fellas

[pchaz88]

Best world cup moment ever, can't stop laughing whenever I see this!

[imafctillidie]

LOL LEGEND!

[orobertson]

First black African team.

[bextzz]

nothing to say...the best free kick ever! Ilunga Mwepu is a myth...

[mattcorrm8]

He strikes that ball with so much venom he could knock someone out.

[chzinspvai]

kkkkk que cara burro, cena classica do futebol, muitos jogadores ai do zaire não tinham nem noção direito das regras do futebol

[ashrquan]

Insane.... lo0ol

[anfclwin05]

Ilunga Mwepu = LEGEND.

[steveisnotroney]

apparently the confusion was because the zaire players had never seen an opposition player place himself in the wall and thought it was illegal, the zaire player was aware he wasn't allowed kick the ball away but did it in frustration rather than ignorance of the rules of football

[MrChelseafc4ever8]

that's not funny

He was playing to save his life..!!!!

[Deathsupon]

epic.

[muzikscud23]

LMAO!!

[samantak100]

hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha­hahahaha

[Cossyc]

Before you go dumb nigga on them, consider that earlier Zaire's dictator, Mobutu threatened the players to kill them and their families if they're defeated by more than 3 goals.

[rokakoma1]

They played for their lifes!!! Think about that before shit comes out off your mouth.

[gingygeorge]

@rokakoma1 too right mate completely agree with you.

[RyanO2151]

Stupid defender, Classic.

[azh8]

HAHAHAHA!! unbelievable !

[omarley73]

Que le plus rapide frappe !!!

[cap22222229]

lo peor fue que ese mismo año ganaron la Copa Africana de Naciones..... se ve que el futbol africano en ese entonces era una mierda...

[cap22222229]

jajajaja esos manes fueron a Alemania a pasear porque bien brutos pal futbol si eran los hijueputas jajajajja

[FCule]

WTF?!

Is this how they played football in africa??

[AlexSeddon11]

i think ... brazil fouled a zaire player and ... they took the freekick quickly ? noo ? yes ? .. HAHAHA

[dragannov]

Zaire was the first african country eva on World Cup...

they did'nt know all rulles of football, and this guy saw a bird passing and BAM !! gotcha

[Blochin]

No it was not. Egypt took part in the 1934 world cup.

[dragannov]

@Blochin

yes, but I was refering on continental Africa

[ser09gio]

i see, Egypt is not on the same continent....

[CaboArmorKing]

Zaire was the first black African country on the World Cup.

[kingwilson06ad]

Egypt in 1934 and Morocco in 1970 were the first two African nations to participate in WC finals

[CaboArmorKing]

Read my comment again:

Zaïre was the first BLACK African country on the World Cup.

The first team made out of black Africans on the World Cup.

[paulmc8623]

@Blochin yeah but they aren't really africans other than the fact that they live in the continent

[JimmyMc1979]

@paulmc8623 What the hell does that mean? Of course they are Africans. They are from Africa. That's how it works.

[marcol68]

@Blochin well, the black africa then! :)

[biggrigga]

@Blochin On a geographical perspective, yes, that is true. On a social one, North (Arab), and sub-Saharan (Black) Africa are two different places (I think that's what he meant). It was a big deal of rising, post-colonial, black nations...at the time.

[soccerdudez10]

@Blochin They were the first sub sarahan african team

[karlos3004]

@dragannov: Apperently, this was done in protest against corruption. The player said that the Zaire officials had kept the players' money to themselves.

Still hilarious out of context though.

[karlos3004]

@dragannov: Apparently, this was done in protest against corruption. The player said that the Zaire officials had kept the players' money to themselves.

Still hilarious out of context though.

[meztikall]

@dragannov I seen that this play is allowed now, if I remember correctly, england did it to Costa Rica in the last world cup

[tl350125go]

@meztikall

england didnt play costa rica in the last world cup though did they?

[kmilan23]

@dragannov ahahahahahah ROFL!!!

[grobljan]

he did it, because their president said, that he will cut them in pieces if they loose 3:0.

[infinitydreamzz]

hahahahahaha !!!!!!!!

[MARKLYN56]

Uno dei momenti più comici della storia dei mondiali.. ..questi venivano proprio dalla giungla..

[robikha]

@MARKLYN56 zitto coglione,commenti su lui e non dove ha venuto

[MARKLYN56]

Ma zitto tu Coglione.. Il Congo (ex Zaire) è nell'Africa equatoriale e quindi se non vengono dalla giungla vengono dalla Savana :-) ..E poi impara a scrivere in italiano: si dice DA DOVE E' VENUTO...

[robikha]

mica mia lingua,chi se ne frega,ma cambi la tua mentalita su l'africani scemo

[michaelvkelly1]

i will never understand why he did this. was it a cynical time wasting ploy or did he just not know the rules of football?

[dimmukomun]

bad politics

[pompeyjim12]

ha ha ha!

[duffman651]

no matter how many times u watch it. its hilarious

[e0syd0mover]

lmao

[donsmad81]

Still one of funniest things ever to happen on a pitch

[sastinky]

oh my goodness..... :(

[fuckoff583]

lol funny africans

[BackFromNowere]

If you listen though it sounds like the ref blows to signal the start of the free kick and he thinks well no reason why is shouldnt kick it

[kuken3000]

He saved his ass and the team

[stadioazteca]

if you know the background to this moment it's not so funny...the Zaire players had lost 9-0 to Yugoslavia in their previous match and Zaire's feared president, Mobutu, sent his guards to the squad hotel to tell the players they wouldn't be able to return home if they lost by more than 3-0 to Brazil. The score was 3-0 when Mwepu kicked the ball away...his actions were down to plain fear and panic

[udaboss99]

Sadly, the Iraq football team during the reign of Saddam Hussain always played in constant fear of their lives should they lose a game. Uday Hussain was well known for torturing the players.

[humblelaurie]

@stadioazteca What was the final score in the end? do you know what happened after?

[kepatin]

@humblelaurie It was 3-0. I think that nobody got killed but Mobutu(president/dictator of Zaire) got every player's contracts cancelled from their football teams. So could have been worse.

[humblelaurie]

@kepatin ah thats still sad though :(

[Satangrandcoeur]

@stadioazteca Faux prétexte... 

[vickedvay]

It certainly looks like Mwepu thinks that the ref blowing his whistle is the cue for the play to be live and he can run forward and tackle.

[thisisbrilliant]

me no understand. who tim victor?

[thisisbrilliant]

The Zaire players were protesting because Brazil players were trying to stand in the defensive wall. Zaire considered that to be cheating. You can see in the close up the Zaire players are trying to complain to the referee about a Brazillian standing too close.

[krazy14kraz]

HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAH

[Shinda0108]

Mwepu's action was just the result of his frustration towards some political pressure put on the squad by the then dictator ruler Mobutu and his envoys at the WM 74. Suspecting Mwepu Ilunga of ignoring the football basic rules is so stupid when you think that the player (along with the likes of Kakoko, Kidumu, Bwanga, Lobilo and many others) was closely watched by some big european clubs like Saint-Etienne, Anderlecht, Ajax and many other. Mobutu forbad any player signing abroad a year before !

[tyzhen]

If that is the truth behind Mwepu`s action - poor players from Zair, they are really for pitty: knowing that big clubs want you and you can`t agree because of a tyran at home!

Btw, it was almost same story with the players from East Europe during the Cold war with the difference that they didn`t have to make strange kicks: they justified their compelled refusals to big Western clubs with "love and loyalty" to the home club and fans.Yugoslavia was an exception -and were a big team!

[Shinda0108]

I read some stupid comments on that memorable Mwepu's action. .. There is only one thing to say here: the derfender is not stupid, as some really STUPID people may think ! Mwepu was part of one of the finest sides of Africa in the 70's (T.P. Mazembe Englebert), took part to and won numerous continental competitions and was not at his first free-kick as a defender; he DID VERY WELL KNOW THE RULES of the game! The question should be: WHY did he kick the ball away before the free-kick was taken?

[magisterius2]

JAJAJAJAJAJJA!! JAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAJAJAJAJ!!­! OHH MY GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD!!! jajajajjajajjajajajjajajajjaja

[icetissnumber10]

Ohh Fauut pas tahada Mskeen il savaii Pas Ahahahahahahahaha

[Godfaada]

Hhahahahaah its just too good.

[rhubarbtart]

i think his reaction is class.

"what did i do ref?"

[sexybabedrama]

all yall stupid

[udall]

deu só um amarelinho pra ele? se fosse hoje, o imbecil seria expulso.

[Satrvlr]

The countrys leader, Mobutu Sese Seko informing the players that should they lose by 4 goals or more to Brazil, there would be dire consequences.

Perhaps understandable then, the way Zairian defender Mwepu Ilunga carried on when faced with a free kick, the commentator was almost laughing.

Mwepu had the last laugh though, his side only lost by three goals, and the team were allowed to return home. Not so much with their heads held high, but at least they still had them.

[CosmosVI]

None of those posted rumors are true

[awesomevideoman14]

not ture!?!?! where the hell do you get your info. my information is from a direct interview with the player who kicked the ball away. i think thats a pretty reliable source

[awesomevideoman14]

the president of zaire said that they would not be allowed back into the country if they lost 3-0 and they were 2-0 down.

he didnt say he would kill everyones family that is ridiculous

[TommyBellingham]

Why didn't they let 4 in then

[awesomevideoman14]

because they're president said no more than 2

[whiteyc1234]

Everyone thinks this video is funny because the player didn't know the rules. If you knew the real reason why he kicked the ball away you might not find it so funny.

[kisbie]

You're right, what people forget now is that they were playing the holders and had just lost to Yugoslavia 9-0. It's easy to laugh now, but considering the fates that awaited them back home if they 'brought humiliation on the name of Zaire', it shouldn't take a genius to work out why they were so desperate. It would be like Zimbabwe qualifying for the World Cup today.

[edubarioni]

The President of Zaire said that would kill everyone's family if they lose by more than 3-0. That's the reason they are desperate.

[colwynzz]

he thinks theyve taken it n tried to trick them or sumink, hes played football before hes not that stupid, although its hilarius

[japanesexxx]

what is the reason ?

[bbnbdy]

that ref is a blatant racist.

if he was white he'd be off!

[richardunlop]

you stupid piece of shit!!!! that would never b a red card. u ignorant asshole!!

[bbnbdy]

who you calling ignorant you racist

[Norum86]

I was watching a whole TV program about this and apparently the Zairian president at the time took their homes away from the players, which they got as a reward for making the World Cup.

[vochroust]

@Norum86 could you please tell me what was the name of the program?

[Norum86]

@vochroust I cant remember. I saw it a few years back on Fox Sports World

[billabongodrum]

straight red imo

[omariofun442]

omg je peut pas conprendre ke les conglais sont tellement bette en tout cas le conglais on bension de la delivrance

[neprdc]

merci pareillement

[domin4ever]

kel imbecilité tu utilises

[mjucel]

pense d abord a apprendre a ecrire

[skillzy555]

lol..i still laugh at this even tho iv seen it a hundred times.

[harv1690]

this cracks me up every time i watch it

[CCCakumbra]

This is by far the funniest thing that has ever happened on the face of the earth considering:

The opponent

The competion it was in

How many people were watching it around the world

The opportunity Brazil had

His reaction to the referee

If there is something funnier please, please tell me

[stemarley86]

this is the funniest thing i ever seen... wot a nob hahahahahhahahahhahahahhahahah­ahaha

[B0ski]

hahahhahahaa

[randomppl9874]

thats summin eboue would do

and im an arsenal fan

[MalibuElectro]

France beat much America and England the English and American his very no one with football compared to French, with old men keeper like "David James," Robinson ". France kisses English who had to invent football do find you his just?

[jimmybmate]

nice to see you can speak the language dick quad

[simplyphenomenal]

France kisses English?

[maripf3]

what is zaire

[CKecheran]

zaire were one of only two african teams to qualify for the world cup in 1974, if you think they were bad and didn't have a clue about the rules, i'd love to see the other ones they beat! hahaha

[maripf3]

han

ok

Oo

[HeshimaJameni]

Zaire (the Democratic Republic of Congo) was the only African representative in the 1974 world cup. They also won the Africa Cup of Nations tournament earlier that year.

[CCCakumbra]

it's now the democratic republic of congo

[maripf3]

congo

ok

thank you

[HRdomobran]

This is added on my birthday ROFL

[CanCanFB]

it's a "very free" kick!

:D

[mattJBB]

whats wrong with that?

[redriderGOW]

lmao these guys have no idea how to play football