STUTTGART’S CONGOLESE ATTACKER Silas Wamangituka has been playing under a false identity, the Bundesliga club announced today.

Wamangituka’s real name is Silas Katompa Mvumpa and he was born on 6 October 1998 in Kinshasa – not a year later, as claimed in his documents.

“Striker Silas Wamangituka recently made it known to the club that he had been the victim of manipulation by his former player agent and that Wamangituka is not his real name,” they said.

“With the support of Stuttgart and a new agent, Silas has been working intensively on clearing up the situation and finally received the corresponding official documentation from Democratic Republic of Congo a few days ago,” they added.

Wamangituka, who scored 13 goals in 27 games last season to help Stuttgart to a mid-table finish, had a trial with Belgian side Anderlecht in 2017 and he claimed he was pressured to move to Paris by his former representative. He joined second-tier Paris FC and then moved to Stuttgart 2019.

“Over the past few years, I was constantly living in fear and was also very worried for my family in Congo,” he said.

“It was a tough step for me to take to make my story public and I would never have had the courage to do so if Stuttgart, my team and Stuttgart had not become like a second home and a safe place to me,” he added.

Stuttgart said they were in contact with the German league and the country’s national association to clear up the situation.

“Thanks to his considerable efforts to clear up the situation, Silas now has a valid Congolese passport with his correct personal details,” they said.

“It is in the interests of both Silas and Stuttgart to ensure that the situation is handled correctly from hereon in,” they added. 

© – AFP, 2021