Reigning African Champions TP Mazembe have started preparing for a come-back to continental football by purchasing a second plane.

The DR Congo club was banned from defending the African Champions League title earlier in the year after fielding an ineligible player.

They have bought another plane for transporting players to future local and international matches.

The MD-83 model with 140 seats landed in Lubumbashi on Sunday.

Mazembe had already bought another plane last year.

Club chairman Moise Katumbi told the media that purchasing a second one was in line with their ambition to become the continent's greatest club.

"We want to be an elephant in African football, and to achieve it we must acquire all necessary means,"he said.

Last year Mazembe unveiled a US$ 10m budget for the current season.

However, the club does not fly to any international assignment soon following the ban by Confederation of African Football, Caf.

It followed a complaint from Tanzania's SC Simba that the defending champions had fielded an ineligible player while eliminating them in the second round.

Caf committee found that the player Janvier Bokungu was already contracted to Tunisia's Esperance and therefore expelled Mazembe from the tournament.

Locally, the club missed the chance of going top of the DR Congo league on Sunday when they were held to a goalless draw by the current champions, Vita Club of Kinshasa.

Vita Club are leading with 23 points while Mazembe have 22.