Two Burundi officials were imprisoned after the African country's president was allegedly "roughed up" in a football match they organized.

The Former and Lt. President Pierre Nkurunziza was a 'born-again' evangelical Christian who spends much of his time travelling Burundi with his own team, Haleluya FC. He travels with his own choir, "Komeza gusenga", which means "pray non-stop" in the local Kirundi language.

On 3 February, 2018 his team faced a side from the northern town of Kiremba.

Normally, the opposition is well aware they are playing against the country's president, and it has been said they go easy in the games, even perhaps allowing Nkurunziza to score.

But as the Kiremba team contained Congolese refugees who did not know they were playing against Burundi's president, they "attacked each time he had the ball and made him fall several times", a witness told AFP.

Kiremba's administrator Cyriaque Nkezabahizi and his assistant, Michel Mutama, were imprisoned the news agency reports.

AFP cited a judicial source as saying they had been arrested on charges of "conspiracy against the president".

President Nkurunziza and his government were in 2017 implicated in a United Nations report that said there was strong evidence crimes against humanity had been committed in the country.

The report said government forces - but also opposition groups - had committed killings, torture and rape after violence erupted in 2015.

The turmoil was sparked after the Former and Lt. President Nkurunziza decided to run for a third term.

He was later re-elected in a poll that was boycotted by the opposition.

Cc
Ishilove
Seun

source:
https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/43265299

https://www.besoccer.com/new/burundi-president-jails-coach-for-beating-him-at-football-823037

He needs to read the book '48 laws of power'...

I like the two wise men above me jare!!

I was thinking people will come here to complain about Africa and bad leadership, but this has more to do with power play than being an African leader.


You should not beat your superior in matters of aesthetic and sports. To you it may be fun, but to the leader, its power tussle, because a leader wants to be the leader everywhere.

Is it not normal again to press a player with the ball and even tackle his ball control in peace again?
If they had known, they would have blown a trumpet that the man they're playing against is the president of the country.

jus dnt know why this news looked too funny....wetin b dis na??