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The soccer players stated they felt “extorted” by some family members, assuring that this situation prevents them from saying goodbye to their father as they would have liked.“We had planned to organize the funeral this Friday. However, due to certain decisions made in Kinshasa, it will not take place in Belgium. Our father passed away on September 28th and, as brothers, we did everything possible to repatriate his body to Belgium,” explained Romelu, Napoli striker, and Jordan, defender for Turkish side Adanaspor.
“It breaks our hearts not to be able to accompany him with dignity in his final rest. But some people have wanted to sabotage it. Now we understand why our father kept us away from several family members. May God bless your soul, Dad,” they expressed in their message.
Roger Lukaku’s Career
Born in the present-day Democratic Republic of Congo, Roger Lukaku developed most of his football career in Belgium, where he played for teams such as Boom, Seraing, Germinal Ekeren, Malines and Ostend. He was also international with Zaire (official name of the country then), playing 11 matches with the national team. During his professional career, he scored 47 goals in 135 matches in the Belgian first division and retired in 1999, although he continued playing in lower categories for a few more years. Following his death, Romelu Lukaku, the all-time top scorer for the Belgian national team, shared a heartfelt message on social media:The death of Roger Lukaku and the statements of his children have generated widespread media attention in both Belgium and Africa, highlighting the family complexity that has surrounded the final farewell to the former footballer.“Thank you for teaching me everything I know. I am eternally grateful to you. Life will never be the same again. You protected me and guided me like no one else could. Thank you for everything, Dad”.
