Algeria's Mohamed Amoura slammed for mocking 'Lumumba' DRC superfan after AFCON win

Reactions have been mixed, trending to negative, towards Algeria forward Mohamed Amoura, after he mocked the DR Congo's superfan at the Africa Cup of Nations, who has become famous for his statuesque Patrice Lumumba impressions.

The fan, Michel Nkuka Mboladinga, has been nicknamed 'Lumumba' for standing throughout matches with his hand raised, striking similar poses to former DR Congo Prime Minister Lumumba, who was assassinated in January 1961 after his central role in securing independence from Belgium.

Algeria eliminated DR Congo 1-0 from the tournament on Tuesday, with an extra time winner from Adil Boulbina setting up a quarter-final against Nigeria. After the late winner, Amoura faced the stand where 'Lumumba' was watching the game, raised his hand to mimic the fan, and then dropped to the turf.

Reactions have been mixed from Congolese and Algerian supporters online. One user on X, @MVYannick (L'homme Congolais), suggested Amoura's reaction would be forgivable if he apologised for it.

"Amoura is a young man who doesn't really know Lumumba's history or his struggle. He surely reacted after the movement of the Algerians [in response to the winner]. Perhaps in a few days' time, he'll realise it was a mistake and offer his apologies. That would still be fair play," he wrote.

Another X user, @mouloudbessal (Mouloud BESSAL) wrote: "Great respect to this supporter. Disappointed by Amoura's idiotic behavior."

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Men in Blazers (@meninblazers)

Whether the 25-year-old VfL Wolfsburg frontman intended the gesture as banter or not, it has struck a nerve for even some apparently neutral observers, due to Lumumba's history as a Pan-African leader.

The African Union wrote of Lumumba on their Facebook page in 2023: "His ideas were instrumental in the contribution made by the DRC in laying the charter and foundation of the Organization of African Unity (now the African Union), Africa's first post-independence multilateral institution."

In 1962 -- only a year after Lumumba's assassination -- Algeria gained independence from France. Lumumba's ideas on African liberation are widely viewed as having been aligned to those of Algeria's primary nationalist movement at the time, the National Liberation Front (FLN).

Egyptian journalist Eslam Magdy was one of several reporters to weigh in on the issue on X, writing: "The Algerian struggle's relationship with the Congolese struggle is deeply intertwined and incredibly strong. Patrice Lumumba strongly supported Algerian independence from France to the utmost extent.

"The supporter commemorates the memory of a leader who did everything he could for his country; he commemorates a memory that represents the very same thing you lived through against France - and perhaps worse - and most importantly, he didn't harm anyone to become fodder for mockery in the first place.

"Algeria's ties with the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the issues of resistance and independence are incredibly strong, fully documented, especially after Lumumba's assassination.

"He's not even an idol; he's a commemorated memory. It's truly strange - this jab that serves no purpose whatsoever."