Did You Know: McCarthy’s boss won TV gameshow to become coach
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Did You Know: McCarthy’s boss won TV gameshow to become coach
Aug 27, 2026 – 02:00 pm
By Lukhanyo Mtuta
In this edition of Did You Know, the journey of Aden McCarthy’s new manager at Sabah FK to the UEFA Champions League actually started when he won money on a television game show.
McCarthy will be competing in the Champions League this season after his side, Sabah, progressed through four qualifying rounds to reach the league phase of Europe’s elite club competition.
It is the club’s first-ever season in the tournament, and the man at the helm for this historic feat is head coach Valdas Dambrauskas.
Read: Ex-Chiefs golden boy secures UCL football in first season abroad
The Lithuanian coach’s journey to this historic achievement began in 2002, when he was a 25-year-old student who had never played football professionally.
Dambrauskas appeared on a Lithuanian television quiz show called Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
According to Eastern Newsline, the now 49-year-old coach won €3,000, adjusted for inflation today, which equates to around R55,000.
Dambrauskas then used the money to travel to England to pursue studies in Sports Science and Coaching at London Metropolitan University.
He would go on to gain coaching experience at clubs such as Manchester United, Fulham and Brentford.
Now, he’s gone from being a television game show contestant to one of only 36 coaches competing in the Champions League.
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