Why Did He Do That?

As Brazil lined up a free kick, the silly Zahir defender burst from the wall, sprinted at the bowl, and just booted it away. The referee gave him a warning, and for the next 40 years, that clip ran on blooper reels all over the world, positioning the Zahir player as a clueless african who didn't know the rules. But Muepu Ilunga knew the rules perfectly well. It's just, he also knew that if his team led in too many goals, he might not ever see his family again. See, three months before this incident, Zahir had been crowned the football champions of Africa, and they just become the first nation from sub-Saharan Africa to ever reach a world cup. And their dictator, Mabutu Sessasako, treated the team like his own personal trophy. He promised every player a car and a house just for qualifying, and he promised them a fortune more if they performed well at the world cup in West Germany. However, when the officials that Mabutu sent along with the squad pocketed the players bonuses for themselves, the team had a hard time staying motivated as they realized that they were basically playing for nothing but promises, while the suits that lauded over them lived in luxury. So, in protest during their second match against Yugoslavia, they barely tried, and they ended up losing the game, 9-0, one of the heaviest defeats in World Cup history. Back home, Mabutu felt humiliated. So, before the final match against the reigning World Champions Brazil, he sent his armed presidential guards to the team's hotel with a simple message, lose by four goals or more, and none of you are coming home. So, by the second half, as Zaire were losing 2-0 and Brazil won a free kick just outside the box, the pressure was too much for a Lunga. He snapped, charged out, and smashed the ball away in a desperate attempt to waste time and throw off the Brazilians. It was really a red card offense, but the referee could see a Lunga was not thinking straight, so he took pity and showed him only a yellow as a warning. But the game got even more intense as Brazil wrangled a third goal soon after, and as Zaire spent the closing minutes clinging on to dear life, they did it. The match finished 3 now, and the players had survived Mabutu's wrath by exactly one goal.