Go Leopards! Zaire at the 1974 World Cup

In the first episode of series six, we look back at the dark saga of Zaire at the 1974 World Cup.  It’s a story that involves post-colonial politics, a military strongman, furious arguments about money, on-pitch farce, off-pitch farce and conspiracy theories.  Zaire went to the World Cup under the patronage of President Joseph Mobutu, who was determined to leverage the success of the Leopards to bolster his own regime.  The players had dreams of fancy houses, luxury cars, foreign holidays and overseas transfers but these failed to materialise as the campaign turned into a nightmare.

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