Romelu Lukaku Reacts As Late Father Laid to Rest in His Absence: “It’s Hard, It’s Tough”

• Romelu Lukaku's father, Roger, passed away at the age of 58, but the funeral plans were reportedly frustrated
• The Napoli striker and his brother, Jordan, had alleged that some family members in Congo did not allow their dad's body to be repatriated to Belgium
• Roger Lukaku has been laid to rest in Kinshasa, Congo, even in the absence of his sons, who are left heartbroken

Romelu Lukaku has paid a touching tribute to his late father, Roger, who was laid to rest in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, on Thursday, October 23.

Roger, a former player for Zaire (now DR Congo) who ended his career in Belgium, died aged 58 on September 28 in the African country.

Efforts to repatriate his body to Europe were futile, forcing Romelu and his brother Jordan to release a statement on social media.

The funeral was initially scheduled for Antwerp on October 17, but the plans were disrupted after relatives in Congo frustrated efforts to repatriate the body to Belgium.

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In a joint statement, the sons alleged that some persons were making certain decisions back home, while others turned the situation into a means of extortion. The statement said:

As you may know we planned to have the funeral this Friday but because of certain decisions being made in Kinshasa will the funeral take place over there.

"Our dad passed away on the 28 of September and we as Brothers tried everything to bring his corpse back to Europe but we felt that we were being extorted by some people…

"If our father was here today he wouldn’t accept it. It breaks our soul for us to not put our father to rest. But some people didn’t want it.

"We understand know why our dad used to keep us away from a lot of people. God bless your soul."

"It breaks our souls for us to not put our father to rest. But some people didn’t want it. We understand now why our dad used to keep us away from a lot of people. God bless your soul."

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On October 23, former Chelsea striker Lukaku took to Instagram to announce that their father had been laid to rest.

He shared a photo capturing the casket and a picture of their dad, adding the caption:

"Our hero has been laid to rest today. It’s hard. It’s tough. But i know he is proud of his boys."

The 32-year-old Napoli striker turned off the comment section as he hopes to keep things as private as possible.

Born in Kinshasa, DR Congo, Roger moved to Europe in 1990 and started his career with Belgian outfit Boom that same year.

He went on to have stints with Seraing and Germinal Ekeren before moving to Turkey in 1996, where he played for Genclerbirligi.

The striker returned to Belgium and had short spells with Mechelen and Ostend before announcing his retirement, per Yahoo.

Scoring 47 goals in 135 Belgian top-flight matches, he earned 11 caps with Zaire, now the DR Congo.

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In recent years, he returned to the spotlight thanks to the careers of his sons, even though their relationship had become somewhat distant.

Napoli consider Lukaku's replacement

Legit.ng earlier reported that Napoli have identified a Super Eagles striker as Romelu Lukaku’s potential replacement after the Belgian forward suffered a long-term injury.

Lukaku was injured during Napoli's final pre-season match against Olympiacos, which they won 2-1, ahead of defending their Italian Serie A crown.

Source: Legit.ng