‘Statue’ fan misses World Cup playoff because of visa problems

Michel Nkuka Mboladinga, a Congo DR fan impersonating late leader Patrice Lumumba, strikes a pose during an Africa Cup of Nations football match in Rabat, Morocco (Mosa’ab Elshamy/AP)

Congo DR’s famous living statue “Lumumba Vea” will miss the World Cup playoff against Jamaica because he was unable to get a visa in time.

Michel Nkuka Mboladinga, who gained fame during the Africa Cup of Nations for posing as a statue of the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s assassinated independence hero Patrice Lumumba for the entirety of games, travelled to Kenya and then Ethiopia in a bid to get a visa to attend Tuesday’s playoff in Guadalajara, Mexico.