Can the Derby come to life?

two giants clash, has lost none of its sparkle.

Real’s Alfredo di Stefano and Barca’s Josep Maria Fuste’s individual predatory battles in hitting the roof of the net has transcended into the modern day matador showmanship of Christiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

Sadly, here in Zimbabwe, what used to be the most eagerly-awaited clash in the capital — the Harare Derby between CAPS United and Dynamos — has not maintained the same lustrous appeal as the Los Blancos/Catalans’ struggle for supremacy in Europe.

I have been fortunate enough to have watched the very first derby between the two Harare giants — a rabble-rousing affair at Rufaro in 1976 — when DeMbare triumphed 3-2, until now.

And, boy, on boy, how times have changed!

Boy, oh boy, how the script and cast quality has taken a nose-dive as far as the performances at Rufaro and the National Sports Stadium have been over the past decade or so.

I am not taking anything away from the current line-ups, which include an attractive array like the battling prowess of Dynamos’ skipper, Murape Murape, the swashbuckling, incisive creative genius of Tawanda “T1” Murapati or CAPS United’s promising talent of Hardlife Zvirekwi and the predatory instincts of Tawanda “Finger” Nyamandwe…..
Not at all . . .

However, the awesome combinations and abundant guile of the late ‘70s/’80s sides, which featured Dynamos’ magician, George “Mastermind” Shaya, Oliver “Flying Saucer” Kateya, David “Broom Boy” George and CAPS United’s agile ‘keeper Steven “Ba Munyaradzi” Chisango, James Chibodo produced some mind-blasting and menacing “dog-eat-dog” affair between the two giants.

Matches between those sides were never taken for granted, as both sets of stars outshone each other in league and cup clashes.

Just take a look at the rest of the supporting actors of the afore-mentioned period if you think I am blindly reminiscing into the world of make-believe: Moses “Razorman” Chunga, Eddie “Madhobha” Katsvere, Max “Scara” Makanza, Hamid “Muzukuru” Dhana, Boniface “Keegan” Makuruzo,  Sunday and Misheck Chidzambwa, David “Yogi” Mandigora, Archieford “Ucheuche” Chimutanda, Matthew Mwale, Japhet M’parutsa on one hand and Stanley “Sinyo” Ndunduma, Stanford “Stix” M’tizwa, Joel “Jubilee” Shambo, Charles “Raw Meat” Sibanda, Friday “Breakdown” Phiri, Tobias Moyo, Size Torindo and Wisdom Mutemajiri.

As the ‘80s cast retired from the box-office, the Harare Derby of the ‘90s ushered in an equally exciting brood of gutsy performers who always had Rufaro, Gwanzura and the National Sports Stadium packed to the rafters.

Dynamos had in their cast arguably the finest dribbler ever produced in the land – Vitalis “Digital” Takawira, his elder brother, Claudius “Hokoyo” Zviripayi, Memory “Mwendamberi” Mucherahohwa and Gift “Ghetto” Mpariwa.

CAPS United had in their ranks Lloyd “Lodza” Chitembwe, Joe “Kode” Mugabe, Mpumelelo “Era Muna” Dzowa, Frank “The Dealer” Nyamukuta, Tobias “Rock Steady” Sibanda, Kudzi Taruvinga and Silver “Bhonzo” Chigwenje.

The ‘90s also had the striking and usually unheard of players crossing the “Great Divide” . . . Eddie “Major Murefu” Muchongwe, Gift “Macgyver” Mudangwe, Tonderai TKZee” M’tambikwa and Lovemore “Magents” Ncube, who all played derbies for both sides.

Nowadays, it appears the bragging rights are only left for the fans because in those days, no player from the green half of the capital could stomach a defeat by the blue army and vice-versa.

That first clash back in ‘76 (when Makepekepe had been promoted into the top-flight at the start of the season) stands out in my mind, perhaps because I was privy to witness a classical encounter which was destined for a 2-2 draw with only 10 minutes to go until a moment of Shaya brilliance thrust the 30 000 crowd into an unbelievable sighting.

The Mastermind picked up a long clearance from ‘keeper Matthew Mwale on the right bye line and brought the ball under superb control.

He waltzed down the flank, as CAPS United’s left wing-back, Size Torindo, closed in to check his progress.

The little magician performed a “Muhammad Ali double shuffle” (similar to Peter Ndlovu’s antics against South Africa in 1991 at the National Sports Stadium), leaving Torindo sprawled on the Rufaro turf and picked out Daniel “Dhidhidhi” Ncube with a perfect cross.

The burly striker connected with a bullet healer past Chisango for the Dynamos winner.

There have been other special moments like Mtizwa’s individual effort back in 1981, as he waltzed amazingly past the entire DeMbare defence to beat Mparutsa from just outside the penalty box, to register a 3-2 win for the Green Machine on a cold July evening.

As the years have rolled on, I have been praying that the same excitement, heart-stopping moments, classic finishes from these past derbies will return . . . but up to now, it hasn’t happened for me.

For fans like DeMbare follower Robbie Mafura, it doesn’t matter whether the glitz on the pitch has gone down.

“We just want to beat CAPS United every time we meet them,” he said.

And yes, both sets of fans have been fantastic to keep the competitive spirit of the derby alive with their sporting taunts at each other and remarkable never-say-die support for their sides.

Maybe tomorrow, at the National Sports Stadium, my long wait (and, oh yes, a million others’ long wait) will come to an end and we might see the rebirth of the real Harare Derby.

Charles Mabika is a veteran football commentator and writer and hosts a radio show on the game on Sfm.