Gladson Awako: Former TP Mazembe midfielder wades into club’s continental struggles
- Adamu Muftawu
- May 28
- 2 min read
Former TP Mazembe midfielder Gladson Awako has waded into the club’s struggles in continental football in recent years.
Mazembe, who are the record DR Congo domestic title holders with 20 top flight titles, last won the CAF Champions League in 2015 but have struggled to maintain glorious days in the last six years.
The Lubumbashi based club exited the 2024/25 CAF Champions League at the group stage after collecting five points – finishing bottom of the Group A standings behind Young Africans, MC Alger and Al Hilal.
Awako, 34, signed for TP Mazembe from 2012 from Berekum Chelsea on a five-year deal, spending a loan stint at their subsidiary club Don Bosco in 2016. He discussed the struggles of TP Mazembe with Ghana-based Radio Gold.
“Back then the players on the team then, you will see all from their national teams doing well, Nathan Sinkala, Jean Kasusula, Tresor Mputu. A whole lot are from their national teams,” Awako told Radio Gold.
“But now they still have other players from other African countries though but the quality won’t be the same as we had then."
“I will say the man, Moise Katumbi (the club owner), his concern is not too much on the club like then because you could see now that he is into politics and for now I think his attention is not on the team like it was before so I think that will be a factor too,” Awako told Radio Gold.
Awako returned to Ghana to play for capital clubs Accra Great Olympics and Accra Hearts of Oak after earlier featuring for Heart of Lions. He has had spells at USL side Phoenix Risings and was most recently on the roster of Great Olympics.
