Devine Lunga in majorbucks

Fungai Muderere, Senior Sports Reporter

WARRIORS left back Devine Lunga is set to receive megabucks amid revelations that his South African club Mamelodi Sundowns FC will get a share from the lip-smacking US$2 billion for being part of the 32-team Fifa Club World Cup in 2025 in the United States of America (USA)

For qualifying, each team will get €50m (US$54m) plus results-based bonuses while the winner will get about €100m (US$108m).

Lunga clinched his second successive league title in South Africa’s elite football league.

The Mpopoma bred footie star was crowned a champion after helping Mamelodi Sundowns to their seventh consecutive league title.

Contacted for a comment Lunga’s local based manager Gibson Mahachi said:

“ I don’t know about the amount of money you talking about but for Divine’s career, his greatest moment was just being part of a great football institution called Mamelodi Sundowns,it feels good always to be part of a winning team.

Divine’s desire is to always represent and raise the Zimbabwean flag high.”

Sundowns claimed the championship over a fortnight ago after thumping Kaizer Chiefs 5-1 to attain an unassailable 62 points with six games to spare.

Lunga’s first title came in 2022 in his debut season.

The 28-year-old defender missed last year’s silverware as he was on loan at Golden Arrows for the whole season before he was brought back for the ongoing campaign.

Lunga became the first Zimbabwean to qualify for the new-look tournament after South Africa football giants Mamelodi Sundowns booked their place.

Sundowns got their berth despite losing to Esperance 2-0 on aggregate in the Champions League semifinal.

Both clubs qualified to the Club World Cup via the ranking pathway.

Lunga’s Sundowns and Esperance will join Egyptian giants Al Ahly and Moroccan side Wydad Casablanca, who also booked their spots as winners of the Champions League in 2021, 2022 and 2023 respectively.

The Zimbabwe international recently became eligible to play as a South African.

Lunga moved to Super Diski in 2018 from Chicken Inn, following an agreement to join Golden Arrows. The period he has spent in South Africa met the requirement to apply for permanent residency and allowed Mamelodi Sundowns to then put him on their books as a local.
-@FungaiMuderere