Joseph Mwepu Ilunga (22 August 1949 – 8 May 2015) was a football defender from

Zaire Zaire (, ), officially the Republic of Zaire (french: République du Zaïre, link=no, ), was a Congolese state from 1971 to 1997 in Central Africa that was previously and is now again known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Zaire was, ...

(now the

Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...

). His name is also written as ''Alunga Mwepu''.

Club career

Mwepu played club football for Englebert TP Mazembe in his native Zaire, with whom he won the 1967 African Cup of Champions and 1968 African Cup of Champions.

International career

Mwepu played for his

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while ...

, then called Zaire, during the 1974 FIFA World Cup. Zaire were then the first sub-Saharan African team to qualify for the World Cup finals. During their group match against

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

, he ran out of his team's defensive wall and kicked away a free kick before the ball was in play. He was subsequently cautioned, but some commentators felt that he seemed oblivious as to what he had done wrong. However, Mwepu claimed that he was quite aware of the rules – as would be expected from an experienced player in a successful side – and was hoping that the referee would send him off. The intended red card would have been a protest against his country's authorities, who were alleged to be depriving the players of their rightful earnings. The 1974 World Cup did not mark the end of Mwepu's international career, as he was included in Zaire's squad at the

1975 Iran International Tournament The Iran International Tournament ( fa, تورنمنت بین المللی ایران) or simply known as Iran Cup ( fa, جام ایران) was a friendly football tournament held in Tehran, Iran between July 11 and July 20, 1975. This was the seco ...

Death

Mwepu Ilunga died in May 2015 after a long illness in the Saint-Joseph de Limete Hospital, Kinshasa.Foot: l’ancien Léopard Joseph Ilunga Mwepu décédé à l’âge de 66 ans
- Radio Okapi

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ilunga, Mwepu 1949 births 2015 deaths Africa Cup of Nations-winning players 1974 FIFA World Cup players 1974 African Cup of Nations players Democratic Republic of the Congo footballers Democratic Republic of the Congo international footballers TP Mazembe players Place of birth missing Association football defenders