Zola Matumona

Zola Matumona
Personal information
Date of birth (1981-11-26) 26 November 1981
Place of birth Kinshasa, Zaire
Height 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in)
Playing position Left midfielder
Club information
Current team
 Mons
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2001–2002 AS Vita Club
2003 FC Saint Eloi Lupopo
2004–2005 AS Vita Club
2006 Primeiro de Agosto
2006–2009 FC Brussels 85 (17)
2009–2012 Mons 75 (14)
2013 Primeiro de Agosto
2014– Mons
National team‡
2002– Congo DR 46 (8)

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 14 January 2014.

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 21:17, 23 December 2014 (UTC)

Zola Matumona (born 26 November 1981) is a Congolese footballer. He is currently playing for Congolese side La Rennaissance.

Career

Matumona arrives at the AS Vita Club of Kinshasa (one of the biggest clubs in the DR Congo) after spending a season at Styles of Congo, second division club. He quickly became the darling of the fans club green and black that call him "Room" in reference to his game comparable to the German player, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge. He spent five seasons, won a championship of the Congo, several league titles Kinshasa, he participated in the Champions League CAF and the CAF Cup with his club. He also wins the award for best player of Congo several times before leaving the club. He landed at FC Brussels in 2007 for a sum of 60,000 Euros.

A speedy central midfielder with excellent technique and ball control, Matumona walked out of FC Brussels on 2 November 2007 after he accused club chairman Johan Vermeersch of making racist remarks towards him during a crisis meeting at the struggling club. Vermeersch was reported to have told Matumona to "think about other things than trees and bananas".[1] The incident also prompted the club's main sponsor, Korean car manufacturer Kia, to withdraw their sponsorship of the Belgian side.[2] But He terminates his contract unilaterally with the club following the racist remarks against him by the President. According to the player's lawyer, Johan Vermeersch had rebuked Matumona and had explained that he "was not in his country and had to forget trees and bananas" in the presence of staff and other players. The lawyer confirms his statements but said it was "a joke". Although on 7 November Matumona agreed to return to FC Brussels after talks with Vermeesch, Kia still refused to renew their contract with the club.[3]

Matumona eventually resumed his contract binding him to the club until 2009 after a meeting with the president who publicly apologized for his remarks.

Zola Matumona has since attracted interest from England. After visa problems initially delayed his trial with Birmingham City,[4] 'Zoe' trained with the club during the 2007–08 season and joined their July 2008 pre-season tour, where he impressed manager Alex McLeish in a 3–1 victory over Czech side FC Viktoria Plzeň.

He subsequently committed to Mons, a second division club where the coach Rudi Cossey decided to incorporate it within its nucleus for the 2009-2010 season. "I signed in Mons because I appreciate the ambitions within the club. e have followed to date only two drives with the group but it went very well. The atmosphere is very good. Now we wait calmly start to the season. That's when it will win games, "confided the New Dragon after signing his contract.

International

Matumona made his international debut on 20 August 2002 vs Algeria in a 1–1 draw.He scored his first international goal on 5 June 2005 vs Kampala when Democratic Republic of Congo. won 4–0.[5]

References

  1. ↑ "Matumona quits club over racism" BBC Sport, 2007-11-03. Retrieved on 4 November 2007
  2. ↑ "Kia withdraws FC Brussels deal" BBC Sport, 2007-11-02. Retrieved on 4 November 2007
  3. ↑ "Matumona in FC Brussels U-turn" BBC Sport, 2007-11-07. Retrieved on 18 July 2008
  4. ↑ "Blues trial for Dogba" Sky Sports, 2008-04-24. Retrieved on 18 July 2008
  5. ↑ "Zola Matumona impresses Birmingham City boss" Colin Tattum, Birmingham Mail, 2008-07-18. Retrieved on 18 July 2008
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