Read 3 minutesUpdated: 2 July 2026 07:19 AM IST
DR Congo coach Sebastien Desabre’s historic journey to the FIFA World Cup knockout stages with his team was dashed after a 1-2 defeat by England on Wednesday, when he was momentarily shocked by the sudden announcement of his father’s death at the post-match press conference.
Leading Congo to their first World Cup qualification since 1974, Desabre oversaw their progress from a tough Group J that included Portugal and Colombia. The story blossomed further when Brian Sipenga’s seventh-minute strike stunned England, who had to claw their way back to victory late in the second half thanks to Harry Kane’s double strike.
Also read | Harry Kane broke Congo’s resistance as England progressed to the last 16
Speaking at the post-match press conference, Desbrey was shocked when a media official intervened towards the end to announce the coach’s condolences.
Le sélectionneur de la RD Congo 🇨🇩 Sébastien Desabre learned after the match of his team about the death of his father. 😢💔
Et c’est comme ceci que cela a été anoncé en conférence de presse… 😳
pic.twitter.com/2XWtcw5tfR— Actu Foot (@ActuFoot_) 1 July 2026
“Thank you but we are announcing that the coach has lost his father,” the media official announced in French.
“Very sincere condolences,” he added before the news conference ended.
While it is unclear exactly when Desbrey learned of his personal loss, the 49-year-old was shocked by the media official’s public announcement. The Frenchman, in charge of the national team for the latter side, added a humble “thank you” before leaving the room.
Despite the tragedy, Desabre was seen calmly reflecting on his inspiring journey to the Congo.
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“We are more proud than disappointed. We are certainly disappointed to be out of the World Cup, but we scored five goals in the tournament and played against very high quality teams and got good results,” he told reporters.
“We managed to stop England but they reacted and that’s what these big teams are capable of. They need the best strikers in the world to save them and that’s what happens against these big nations. We did what we could, we were close to winning but it can be seen as a victory for us.”