Mamelodi Sundowns celebrates during the 2022 Nedbank Cup Final match between Marumo Gallants and Mamelodi Sundowns at Royal Bafokeng Stadium on the 28 May 2022. Photo: Sydney Mahlangu/BackpagePix
Football website Sportslens.com has revealed seven out of the ten biggest spending football clubs in Africa belong to the northern nations. SA’s Mamelodi Sundowns also made the list.
The dominance of North African clubs is also reflected in the transfer outlay in continental football.
According to the transfer figures released by FIFA, Tshwane based Professional Soccer League (PSL) club Mamelodi Sundowns FC is one of the three clubs not belonging to North Africa on the list.
Mamelodi Sundowns – South Africa’s richest football club – have won seven of the last nine domestic titles in the league.
In 2016, Mamelodi Sundowns won the Champions League and became the first South African club to participate in the FIFA Club World Cup.
According to KickOff, the Tshwane giants reportedly spent over R30 million on transfers in January.
Other football clubs on the list include the Tunisian club Espérance Sportive de Tunis, which was the biggest spender in Africa in 2021.
ES Tunis is the biggest Tunisian football club and four-time CAF Champions League winners.
Egyptian club Pyramids FC – which is relatively new – landed in second. Formed initially as Al Assiouty Sport in Beni Seuf in 2008, the club has yet to win major titles.
Ahly Tripoli of Libya was the third-biggest spender in 2021. The Tripoli-based club is famous in Libya but hasn’t enjoyed much success at the continental level.
In the fifth spot, RS Berkane from Morocco has not enjoyed much success on the domestic front in their history.
However, the club is the two-time winner of the CAF Confederation Cup. In 2021, they were also the biggest spenders in Morocco
Al Hilal of Sudan occupied the seventh spot while Tanzanian club Simba SC is ninth on the list.
Simba SC is arguably the biggest in the country and is also considered a giant in East African football.
Moroccan giants Wydad complete the list of top ten biggest spenders on the continent.
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