Kinshasa, April 3rd, 2025 (CPA) – Maniema Union of Kindu (Maniema) and TP Mazembe of Lubumbashi (Haut-Katanga) will meet on Sunday at the Stade des Martyrs in Kinshasa, on day 3 of the play-offs in the National Football League (Linafoot) championship, according to the competition calendar. The match, which has all the makings of a national final, will pit the 2nd against 4th in the play-offs. AS Maniema Union are unbeaten in three outings, with a maximum of 9 points. TP Mazembe, meanwhile, holders of the title with 6 points from three outings, will be out to redeem themselves after their first play-off exit at the hands of Aigles du Congo.
Don Bosco-AC Rangers brought forward to Sunday
The match between Cercle Sportif Don Bosco of Lubumbashi in Haut-Katanga, in the south-east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and Académique Club Rangers of Kinshasa, the country’s capital, originally scheduled for May 13th at the TP Mazembe stadium, has been rescheduled for Sunday 4 May, on the sixth day of the play-offs of the 30th championship of the national football league (LINAFOOT), according to a press release, a copy of which was sent to the CPA on Friday.
Congo Eagles and Maniema Union: two unbeaten co-leaders
Aigles du Congo of Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and Maniema Union of Kindu, in Maniema, in the east of the country, have been classified co-leaders and unbeaten, with 9 points in the play-offs of the National Football League (LINAFOOT) championship, according to the statistics of this sporting entity. According to the table, which CPA consulted on Friday, the two sides have won three games in a row and remained unbeaten, level on 9 points, but with the “Samouraïs” (players from Les “Aigles du Congo”) ahead in terms of goals scored, the first key criterion used to decide between them. While Les Aigles du Congo scored 8 goals for 2 conceded (3-0, forfeit against V.Club; 2-1 against FC Tanganyika and 3-1 against TP Mazembe), the Unionistes de Kindu scored 4 without a scratch. Following in the footsteps of this leading duo were a tandem of giants from Lubumbashi, Haut-Katanga, in the south-east of the country, namely TP Mazembe and Saint Eloi Lupopo. TP Mazembe and Saint Eloi Lupopo have three matches in common, with one defeat each, and 6 points won. The “Lumpas” (players from Lupopo) are ranked 3rd for having scored 5 goals and conceded 1 (Lupopo-Tanganyika 1-0; Anges Verts-Lupopo 0-4 and Lupopo-Maniema Union 0-1). As a result, TP Mazembe were relegated to the lower tier for their 4 goals scored but with a goal difference of 0 for the 4 conceded by their defence, as follows: TP Mazembe-CS Don Bosco 2-1; DC Motema Pembe-TP Mazembe 0-1 and Les Aigles du Congo-TP Mazembe 1-3.
AC Rangers of Kinshasa, in fourth place, were the only team to record three different results in three outings, with a win (FC Tanganyika-AC Rangers 0-0), a draw (AS Simba-AC Rangers 0-0) and a defeat (AC Rangers-DC Motema Pembe 2-3). After three outings, CS Don Bosco, ranked 8th, were the only team to record a win (AS Simba-CS Don Bosco 0-1) and two defeats (TP Mazembe-CS Don Bosco 2-1, CS Don Bosco-AS Maniema Union 0-1), and were credited with 3 points. Four clubs – Motema Pembe, V.Club, Anges Verts de Kinshasa and AS Simba de Kolwezi – have each played two matches. While Anges Verts are still empty-handed, AS Simba has one game in hand and DC Motema Pembe and AS V.Club have three. FC Tanganyika, newly promoted and making their first appearance in the play-offs, are 12th and bottom of the table, the only team to have lost three out of three. Standings: FC Les Aigles du Congo 9 pts (3 matches), AS Maniema Union 9 pts (3 matches), Saint Eloi Lupopo 6 pts (3 matches), TP Mazembe 6 pts (3 matches), AC Rangers 4 pts (3 matches), DC Motema Pembe 3 pts (2 matches), AS V. Club 3 pts (2 matches), CS Don Bosco 3 pts (3 matches), AS Simba 1 pt (2 matches), SM Sanga Balende 0 pts (1 match), AF Anges Verts 0 pt (2 matches) and FC Tanganyika 0 pt (3 matches).
‘The secretariat of the National Football League (LINAFOOT) İnforms sporting opinion in general and the teams involved in the play-off phase of the 30th edition of the Ligue I national championship in particular that, for organizational reasons, the match between CS Don Bosco and AC Rangers has been rescheduled for 4 May, at 3pm, at the TP Mazembe Stadium,’ you can read. According to the document, dated April 30th and signed by LINAFOOT national secretary Antoine Luzizila, the teams and officials concerned are asked to make all the necessary arrangements. At the same time, all previous provisions to the contrary are declared null and void.
The press release also stated that the matches between FC Saint Eloi Lupopo-CS Don Bosco and AC Rangers-AS V.Club had to be rescheduled. ACP/