Malawian duo Patrick Mwaungulu and Lanjesi Nkhoma have won their first Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) top-flight league title with their Congolese club TP Mazembe.
The Lubumbashi-based outfit sealed the Ligue 1 title with a 2-0 win over Celeste FC on the final day of the Linafoot play-offs.
The former African club champions finished with 30 points, a point above runners-up Les Aigles du Congo in the 15-team national play-offs to win their 21st title.
In an interview yesterday, Nkhoma said they were delighted with the feat.
He said: “TP Mazembe are such an ambitious club and when they signed us [from FCB Nyasa Bullets] in 2024, they made it clear that we should help the team reclaim the title. So, we are all excited to achieve that target.
“We are very proud to have played a part towards the success. It wasn’t easy because the league here is very tough, ultimately, it was down to team work.”
Following the league triumph, Mazembe will represent DRC in the 2026/27 CAF Champions League.
“Playing at continental level provides a window of opportunity for us to be spotted by European clubs,” said Nkhoma, who was one of the league’s leading scorers before suffering an injury setback that sidelined him for a couple of games.
Mwaungulu was not available for comment yesterday.
But football players’ agent Felix Ngamanya Sapao, who facilitated the duo’s deals, said he was excited with their achievement.
“They both played a big part in Mazembe’s success by, among others, scoring crucial goals and they stand to get more exposure playing in the Champions League because Mazembe always reach the group stage,” he said.
The two Flames players joined the Congolese giants in August 2024 on a reported combined transfer fee of K140 million on two-year deals, but were loaned out to Don Bosco because at the time, TP Mazembe were banned from registering new players by Fifa.
They were registered by TP Mazembe in May last year after the world football governing body lifted the ban.
Both players extended their contracts by two more years towards the end of last year.
