Just minutes after Congo DR’s heartbreaking FIFA World Cup 2026 exit against England, head coach Sébastien Desabre suffered a devastating personal tragedy when he was informed of his father’s death during his post-match press conference.What started as a routine post-match media interaction turned into an emotional scene after Congo DR’s 2-1 Round of 32 loss to England at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium.Desabre answered questions about his side’s spirited performance before the team’s communications officer interrupted proceedings with a solemn announcement.In French, the media official said: “Thank you, but we announce that the coach has lost his father. Sincere condolences.”The room fell silent.Video footage of the moment, which has gone viral on social media, shows an apparently stunned Desabre looking across in disbelief before quietly replying, “Merci” (“Thank you”), getting up from his chair and leaving the press conference as it ended immediately.It is not yet clear whether the 49-year-old had been informed of his father’s death before entering the media room, but his reaction suggested the announcement came as a shock.WATCH:
The historic World Cup campaign ended in tragedy
The terrifying moment came just minutes after Congo DR saw their wonder FIFA World Cup journey ends.Playing in their first ever World Cup knockout match, the African side made a dream start when Brian Cipenga scored his first international goal after just seven minutes to stun England.However, captain Harry Kane produced another landmark save, scoring twice in the closing stages to fuel England’s dramatic 2-1 win and book a Round of 16 clash with co-hosts Mexico.Despite the loss, Desabre praised his players for their fighting spirit and the progress they made during a historic tournament.“We are disappointed because we really believed we could do it. We played well. At the end of the game, we conceded two chances, and one of the best players in the world scored two goals against us. It’s a shame,” said Desabre before the terrible announcement.“We have to congratulate the players for their performance. They have gained a lot of experience from playing against teams like this. That’s how football is made in Congo DR. We lack a little experience, but that’s the nature of the game. We are learning, and we continue to improve. We will continue, calmly,” he added.Desabre guided Congo DR to their first FIFA World Cup appearance since 1974, when the country – then known as Zaire – became the first sub-Saharan African nation to qualify for the tournament. Leopards also reached the knockout stage for the first time, making the campaign one of the biggest successes in the country’s football history.