Claude Le Roy warns he will leave Congo job over alleged €40,000 player demands

Claude Le Roy says he could walk away from his role as Congo manager if agents are paid to persuade players to represent the national team.

The French coach claims some entourages have requested as much as 40,000 euros - around 30 million CFA francs - before their players agree to join the Diables Rouges.

Le Roy made the revelation while discussing his efforts to recruit dual-national players, as he attempts to strengthen a Congo squad that began its CAN 2027 qualifying campaign with a 1-0 defeat by Namibia in Botswana.

The result came with several players who had been expected to feature unavailable to the manager. Goalkeeper Melvin Zinga was affected by administrative problems, while the anticipated return of experienced forward Thievy Bifouma did not take place.

Dual nationals Brayann Pereira, Jordi Mboula and Kevin Mouanga also failed to join the squad.

Those absences highlight the scale of the rebuilding task facing Le Roy and his assistant, Omar Daf. But the manager says the difficulties extend beyond persuading players to make themselves available.

“Some agents have reportedly asked for considerable sums of money for certain players (...) up to 40,000 euros,” he said.

Le Roy insisted he would not accept such arrangements and threatened to resign if the Federation Congolaise de Football agreed to them.

“I can tell you one thing: the day we agree to give even 100 euros, separate from what players normally receive in terms of allowances and bonuses for a win or a draw, and nothing if we lose... If we accept that, I will leave immediately.”

The coach criticised the agents involved, although the source of the allegations did not identify any of them or the players they are said to represent. The responsibility of players who might accept such payments was also questioned, given they would be making their own decisions about representing the country of their parents.

Le Roy’s second spell in charge of Congo has therefore begun under significant pressure. The Diables Rouges have not won a match for two years and are currently 134th in the FIFA rankings, just 10 places above their lowest-ever position of 144th, recorded in 2011.

There is little time to reverse that run. Congo’s next opponents are Cameroon on Tuesday, the strongest team in the group, although the Diables Rouges will have home advantage.

A second successive defeat would leave Congo without a point after two matches and already in a difficult position in the race to qualify for CAN 2027.

Before he can focus fully on rebuilding the side, Le Roy must address two immediate problems: improving results and persuading the best available players to commit to Congo.

He has made clear that bringing them into the squad cannot come at a price of 40,000 euros.