UNECATEF defends Tintin au Congo graphic featuring Claude Le Roy and Omar Daf after racism claims | OneFootball

UNECATEF is facing racism accusations over a Tintin au Congo-style graphic celebrating Claude Le Roy and Omar Daf’s appointments with Congo, and is standing by the post.

According to L'Équipe, the union posted it on 12 June, titled "Claude et Omar au Congo", mirroring Hergé’s cover with Le Roy driving and Daf as passenger, replacing a Congolese child.

The visual remained little seen until Tuesday, when it spread on social media and drew criticism. The union then compounded matters by congratulating Le Roy for DR Congo rather than the Republic of the Congo, with DR Congo due to face England in the World Cup last 16 on Wednesday.

Historian Pascal Blanchard said the episode shows colonial and racist imagery still lingers, arguing the book trades in stereotypes of a white saviour assisted by a Black companion, often dismissed as third-degree humour. He also pointed to the Congo’s brutal past under King Leopold of Belgium, citing claims of millions of severed hands.

UNECATEF president Bertrand Reuzeau said the image had not shocked them and that only a few had taken offence. He accepted some might misinterpret it but denied any racist undertone, calling the row unnecessary and saying they would have done the same if a Tintin in Spain existed.

Le Roy, who coached Congo from 2013 to 2015, said he found the controversy pathetic. He added that although he knows the book is colonialist, he sees the post as tongue-in-cheek. Reuzeau said both men approved the visual.

Source: L'Équipe