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By Gilbert Wandera in Cairo
DR Congo club TP Mazembe are not Africa’s top club for nothing.
An interview with the team’s captain Mihayo Kazembe reveals a club management that is determined to get success at whatever cost and has spared nothing to get glory.
Mazembe are the current African champions after winning the CAF Champions League last December and also made history by becoming the first team from the continent to qualify for the final of the Fifa Club World Cup.
The success came with huge financial rewards for the club which earned Sh80 million for lifting the CAF title and another Sh240 million for their success in the Fifa competition.
According to Kazembe, 30, their success is due to massive investment in players’ welfare by the club management.
"We lack nothing and are paid well. That is why so many of our players have resisted lures to go abroad," said Kazembe who is with Congo in Egypt for the Nile Basin tournament.
Though he declined to reveal exact figures, Kazembe said the least paid player at the club earns approximately Sh400,000 per month while the senior players get anything between Sh800,000 and Sh1.2 million per month.
Playing in europe
"We look at these figures and wonder why we should think of playing in Europe where one’s salary is taxed heavily. With us it is always better to play at home," he said.
He said Mazembe players drive top-of the-range cars in Lubumbashi and many of them own property.
"Personally I have built four houses during my 12 years at the club," he said.
He says constant motivation by the club President Moise Katumbi always keeps the players on their toes and eager to hone their performance and skills.
"He can promise us $10,000 (Sh800,000) to win a match. We do anything to keep the money," he said.
The players were given part of the Sh400million they won as prize money last year as appreciation for their efforts.
Katumbi a successful businessman in Congo has also bought a small plane for the team enabling them to travel for matches in the vast country which has a poor road network.
Kazembe admits that repeating last year’s feat will not be an easy task considering that every team will be out to stop them. However, they remain motivated to win more glory to the club and its financially endowed owner.

Je pense qu'il est plus que temps d'éviter aux joueurs de Mazembe de faire ces déclarations un peu de bas niveau... quatre maisons.. belles voitures... oui c'est grand, c'est même géant mais c'est encore rien par rapport aux autres qui construisent des écoles... mais je le repete, c'est déjà grand mais pas assez pour aller en parler quelque part au micro d'un journaliste au caire

Mais pour un joueur comme lui qui n'était pas tellement bon pendant toute sa carrière... Qui nous a montré une belle figure que pendant l'année dernière, c'est quelque chose car s'il était en Europe, il aurait passé un bon moment sans club.

I think he did well to talk about life for players of TP Mazembe. Build a school? is something else. because the government does not build schools, they have houses and cars, that is to say he can stay home and have a good life.