While the main purpose for his trip to the city was to witness his side take to the field in a crunch encounter, President Moïse Katumbi’s arrival in Kalemie, Tanganyika Province ahead of Linafoot fixture between TP Mazembe and FC Saint-Éloi Lupopo, saw business in the city come to a standstill drastically.
Lupopo who were the home side on Saturday, opted to host the derby away from Lubumbashi at a neutral venue, in the Joseph Kabila Kabange Stadium in Kalemie, following security concerns by the Linafoot management.
The match which ended in a barren draw was a week 5 of Congolese top-flight’s Group A.
Katumbi who arrived in Kalemie on Saturday morning in the company of wife, Madame Carine, was welcomed by thousands of joyful residents of the city.
The Ensemble Pour la Republique President took time to walk through the streets of Kalemie in order to greet and converse with the locals.
Katumbi and his spouse later proceeded to the Joseph Kabila Kabange Stadium where they witnessed the Ravens battle to a barren stalemate as crowd at the arena sang songs of praise for the 20 December Presidential Elections candidate.
Meanwhile, soccer fanatics in Kalemie also took advantage of their incoming leader’s presence to complain about the exaggerated prices of tickets for the match.
VIP tickets for the crunch encounter had been set at a US$50 and 10,000 Francs all round which is double the usual ticket prices in Congolese football.
