Lubumbashi giants TP Mazembe paid a special tribute to club legend Rainford Kalaba just before taking on Egyptian heavyweights Al Ahly SC in a TotalEnergies CAF Champions League first leg semi-final clash at the Kamalondo Stadium on Saturday.
Kalaba was last week on Friday involved in traffic accident in the Zambian capital Lusaka which left the legendary former Mazembe captain hospitalized and another dead.
Lusaka’s University Teaching Hospital (UTH) have since announced that the 37-year old’s health greatly improved and has since regained consciousness after having been in an “artificial coma” for a few days.
Mazembe players raised Kalaba’s shirt around the stadium just before kick-off of the exciting continental fixture.
Kalaba’s former national team and Mazembe club-mate Given Singuluma was also present at the stadium and led the tributes.
Meanwhile, Mazembe battled out to a barren draw against Ahly and will aim to wrap up the tie when they travel to Cairo for the second leg next week.
