Lumumba Vea, the motionless Congolese fan who became an AFCON star | OneFootball

The recent AFCON in Morocco has upended the life of Michel Kuka Mboladinga, known as Lumumba Vea, whose motionless homage to Patrice Lumumba made him a sensation. According to L'Équipe, the former bakery manager is now under protection.

He has not been home since returning three weeks ago, staying in a Kinshasa hotel while preparing to move into a secure residence. The 49-year-old now travels with a guard and three managers.

His act mirrors the Lumumba statue in Limete, his home district he now avoids amid the attention. He has posed for AS Vita at the Stade des Martyrs since 2013.

He once worked weddings and birthdays, sometimes standing three hours for little reward. He joined the state-backed Bloc Léopards two years ago, was fully accepted last year, and commissioned a €50 wooden stool two weeks before AFCON.

He says the performance rests on a secret and a clear mind fixed on the game. A father of 26 children, the youngest seven months, he welcomes late recognition.

CAF president Patrice Motsepe met him at half time of Algeria v DR Congo in Rabat on 6 January, which finished 1-0 after extra time. Motsepe promised an honorary World Cup role from 11 June to 19 July, even if DR Congo do not qualify.

DR Congo face an intercontinental play-off final on 31 March in Guadalajara against New Caledonia or Jamaica. Barring the unexpected, Lumumba Vea is expected to be there with a diplomatic passport and an agreement to avoid domestic politics.

Source: L'Équipe