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The fall from grace of Congolese giants TP Mazembe

It is high time the club's leaders learned some hard lessons. Yes, Mazembe are sick: unambitious recruitment, poor communication and, above all, individuals behaving like hawks who stifle the revival of a club that was once the pride of Congolese football.

By Lunda Mulongo Lem’s Pierre·Staff writer·26 October 2026·5 min read

Once the pride and joy of African football, Tout-Puissant Mazembe have spent several years in the doldrums.

Yet this was the first African club to reach the final of the Club World Cup, in 2010, having won the African Champions League twice, in 2009 and 2010.

They are also the most decorated club in the DR Congo, but they are plagued by serious problems: years of unambitious recruitment, a woeful communications team and, above all, a reckless board of directors that jostles for the money of president and sponsor Moïse Katumbi Chapwe rather than serving the interests of the club.

Mazembe's elimination in Tunis yesterday at the hands of Club Africain was yet another blow for the supporters of this Katangan side. In Lubumbashi, Kamina, Likasi, Kolwezi and Kasumbalesa, fans were stunned by the team's poor showing and, above all, by the failings of the technical staff.

It is high time the club's leaders learned some hard lessons. Yes, Mazembe are sick: unambitious recruitment, poor communication and, above all, individuals behaving like hawks who stifle the revival of a club that was once the pride of Congolese football.

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