Kamwendo features twice for TP Mazembe

Flames inspirational midfielder Joseph ‘Shakira’ Kamwendo has said he is happy at DR Congo outfit TP Mazembe where he has already made two league appearances.

His league debut was against AS Dauphins in which he was thrown in as a substitute as the former African club champions won 4-0. His second game was a 0-0 draw against FC MK last Sunday.

“I am settling down well. It just feels good to be part of one of the best teams in Africa.

“I am enjoying every minute here and I do not regret signing for them. Playing alongside such big names like Tressor Mputu Mabi, Rainford Kalaba and Stopilla Sunzu is a wonderful experience and I am doing all I can to earn my place,” he said.

His last game before he comes home for Christmas holiday, will be against AS Nika on Sunday.

Mazembe top Group A of the Vodacom Super Ligue with 16 points from six games of which they have won five and drawn once. Sunday’s game will be their last first-round game.

Meanwhile, Mazembe’s chairperson Moise Katumbi has unveiled plans to make the club a major force in the world game.

“Our objective is to be very competitive and I believe we can achieve that with what we have here.

“If we can build on our strong foundations, there is no reason Mazembe cannot win the Club World Cup one day,” Katumbi told BBC Sport.

His plans for global domination are underpinned by a recruitment policy that has brought in players from Tanzania, Ghana, Zambia, Cameroon, Botswana and most recently Malawi.

In 2010, Mazembe were the first African team to reach the Club World Cup final, but lost to Italian giants Inter Milan.

Mazembe won back-to-back African titles in the late 1960s, but struggled to make an impact until Katumbi took over and revolutionised the club.

Most of Mazembe’s players are well paid by African standards, which is part of Katumbi’s strategy to stop the exodus of African talent to Europe.

“The best African players are in Europe and they go there because of the money,” said Katumbi, governor of the DR Congo’s mineral-rich province of Katanga.