Sébastien Desarbre and Vinicius Jr have never met to discuss the possible integration of the Brazilian into the national team of the DRC – Congo Profound.

This photo posted on social media (Facebook and WhatsApp) claiming to show any connection between Congolese coach Sébastien Desarbre and Vinicius Jr is MANIPULATED.

Posted and reposted on Facebook and WhatsApp, this image has gone viral. In the image, we recognize Sébastien Desarbre, coach of the Leopards of the DRC, with a player, who is claimed to be the famous Brazilian footballer Vinicius Jr. The photo has the caption: “Vinicius and the DRC, the incredible rumor confirmed.”

On Facebook, the image of Desarbre and Vinicius holding a jersey with the colors of the DRC and the badge of Fecofa received over a thousand likes, 626 comments, and was shared 221 times, which is huge.

After seeing the photo, the instinct of a manipulated image came to me. A simple reverse image search confirmed our verdict.

A check on this website, leans towards the real published photo. The website Sports-team.net, published on March 26, 2024: “Democratic Republic of Congo: Axel Tuanzebe, a great reinforcement for the Leopards.”

The online media specifies that: “Ipswich Town defender Axel Tuanzebe (26 years old) has changed his sporting nationality to represent the men’s national team of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Born on November 14, 1997 in Bunia, DRC to Congolese parents, he grew up in England. He played for England’s youth national team at the under-19, under-20, and under-21 levels. Tuanzebe will be available for the next FIFA international window in June 2024, dedicated to the qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup. An incredible recruitment work of dual nationals carried out by the head coach of the Leopards, Sébastien Desabre!“

The information published by Sport-team.net is confirmed here: “DR Congo: Leopards strengthen with a former player from Man United and Napoli.”

“The Congolese Football Federation (Fecofa) officially announced, this Sunday, the arrival of Axel Tuanzebe in the Den of the Leopards. The former English youth international, trained by Manchester United and who played for Napoli had been selected in the squad for the 2023 AFCON, where his new teammates won the bronze medal. But he was unable to accept. This time, it’s definitive,” mentioned onzedafrik.com

On their X account (formerly Twitter), the Congolese Football Federation, FECOFA, announced: “Axel Tuanzebe, native of Bunia and player of Ipswich Town in the English D2, is now eligible and selectable to represent the Leopards in the upcoming international events.”

We confirm with certainty that this photo posted on social media (Facebook and WhatsApp) claiming an integration into the national team of Brazilian Vinicius Jr is MANIPULATED.

The original photo is this one, published on the FECOFA’s X account. Despite being a victim of racism, Vinicius Jr has never requested any integration into the Leopards.

This fact-check was written by Justin-Robben DIASILUA K., fact-checker under the supervision of Tchèque Bukasa, General Director of Congoprofond.net