Shearer helps cup skipper Lua Lua
LA MARSA, Tunisia (Reuters) -- Lomana Lua Lua hopes to put a smile back on people's faces in war-ravaged Democratic Republic of Congo when his team launch their African Nations Cup bid.
With a little help from a former England captain and a large helping of self-belief, the striker is upbeat about "The Simbas"' chance, starting against Guinea on Sunday.
"I've got some advice and tips from Alan Shearer on how to be a captain and how to conduct yourself because I know there are 68 million people waiting for us to do something," he said.
Mineral-rich Congo, formerly Zaire, is emerging from a five-year regional war that ended last year and claimed three million lives, mainly due to hunger and disease.
This weekend, the country is likely to come to a standstill for a very different reason, Lua Lua said on Friday at the team's hotel north of Tunis.
"There will be people not wanting to go out but just sitting down and watching this game," he said the 23-year-old.
"The only thing we can do to put a smile on their faces is to get three points. For me, to be part of making people happy, there's no more I can ask for."
Lua Lua said that just being at the tournament "means so much to me, so much. With the war and everything that's been going on back in our country this is only thing that can take people's minds off it, and it's the only way to pay back our supporters."
