French coach Claude Le Roy, the current head coach of the Red Devils of Congo-Brazzaville, finds himself once again at the center of a media storm.
No stranger to high-profile public statements, the veteran of African soccer has this time drawn the ire of DRC soccer officials. The response was swift and came from across the river, delivered by a prominent voice.
Appearing as a guest on the international channel TV5 Monde, FECOFA President Veron Mosengo was quick to sharply set the French coach straight.
The head of the Congolese soccer federation directly accused Claude Le Roy of profound bad faith, responding specifically to Le Roy’s comments implicating Gianni Infantino, the president of FIFA following a recent press conference in which his remarks were deemed particularly controversial.
To back up his accusations of interference and illustrate the coach’s double standards, the Congolese official dug up damning evidence dating back to the time when the Frenchman was working in West Africa.
“Claude Le Roy is acting in bad faith. I remember when he was in Togo; FIFA President Infantino wanted to meet with the President of the Republic of Togo, Mr. Gnassingbe. But Claude Le Roy refused to allow the president of the Togolese soccer federation to attend that meeting,” Veron Mosengo revealed live on air.
This sensational statement sheds a harsh light on the coach’s methods and reignites the debate over the influence he may have exerted beyond the realm of sports on African heads of state at the expense of local soccer federations.
As he attempts to stabilize his Red Devils team, Claude Le Roy now finds his reputation seriously tarnished by this direct attack from Kinshasa, which is sure to spark a reaction throughout the subregion.
