Five children, no house
Cédric Bakambu’s spell in Major League Soccer lasted barely two months. The reason, it now emerges, had little to do with football.
The DR Congo striker has filed a federal lawsuit for housing discrimination, ESPN revealed on Wednesday, in a story picked up by RMC Sport this evening. The complaint targets a real estate agency, two property owners and two agents. According to the filing, Bakambu and his wife, Anne-Laure Hueber, were turned down for a rental home because of their “familial status”: the couple have five children who would be living with them.
The complaint says the family offered to pay a full year of rent up front, along with other guarantees, and were still refused. They ended up in temporary accommodation at their own expense. The filing lists the fallout: lost housing options, extra costs, prolonged instability, disruption to the children’s schooling and activities, humiliation and emotional distress. Bakambu shared the ESPN report on his own social media accounts.
no renewal
Free for 2 weeks.
A short stay in California
The 35-year-old joined San Diego FC in early September, fresh from playing the World Cup with DR Congo. He made an immediate impact on the pitch, with five goals and three assists in nine matches.
Last Friday he posted a farewell message on Instagram, saying he would have liked to continue the adventure but that some decisions were out of his control. At the time, no explanation followed. The court filing fills that gap.
What comes next
None of the allegations have been tested in court, and the defendants’ response is not yet known. For San Diego, the practical issue is simpler: they lose a proven finisher who was producing a goal contribution almost every game.
For Bakambu, a veteran of Sochaux, Villarreal, Marseille and Real Betis, the next move remains open.
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