Online Reporter
Veronica Gwaze-Zimpapers Sports Hub
WITH just a day left for Premiership giants Dynamos to potentially make history by reaching a record third successive Chibuku Super Cup final, the Harare football giants camp has been thrown into chaos again.
This is because the Dynamos players yesterday downed tools and have also threatened to boycott tomorrow’s high-stakes semi-final clash against old enemies Highlanders.
There were genuine fears yesterday that the strike, which is not unique to Dynamos, could throw the country’s premier knockout competition into turmoil.
The Chibuku semi-final matches get underway this afternoon when MWOS face Triangle at Ngoni.
While there is tranquility in both the MWOS and Triangle camps ahead of their semi-final showdown, the same cannot be said of DeMbare.
The chaotic situation at Dynamos escalated yesterday when the players decided to down their tools, refusing to train in what was intended to be their final preparation for the crucial tie.
This boycott underlines the perennial financial struggles that continue to haunt the country’s biggest football club.
What was worrying the neutrals was the apparent inertia exhibited by the Dynamos executive committee to the latest challenges afflicting the club.
Dynamos’ woes have not been helped either by rumours circulating rumours, which suggested that funds made available to the club by well-wishers had fully filtered down to the players.
Some of the players who downed tools said the youthful board member marketing David Chikomo had been tasked with resolving the stand-off with the players.
“They sent board member marketing (Chikomo) to come and address us, so he told us that they cannot give us a tentative date as to when they can pay us,” said players who chose anonymity for fear of victimisation.
“He tried to force us to train but we cannot be pushed in a time like this so we told him that they have up to Saturday mid-day to pay us, or else we are boycotting the match,’’ one of the players said.
Indications are that the Dynamos players are owed at least US$1 000 each.
- Related stories: https://www.heraldonline.co.zw/breaking-dynamos-players-threaten-to-boycott-chibuku-super-cup/
- https://www.heraldonline.co.zw/dynamos-players-strike-continues/
Despite the club owing them, the DeMbare players have been fighting hard to swim out of the relegation zone.
So far, they have not lost a match in the second half of the season.
Reports are that for the fine run which is made up of six wins and four draws, DeMbare last received bonuses for the 3-2 victory over league debutants Scottland in August. For each win, a player should receive US$300 while draws are pegged at US$150 per game.
“We are not happy with what is happening, there is no clear communication as to when we should expect our money so we thought a protest is better,” added another players.
“They always ignore our grievances, so yes we know right now was not the best time to go on strike, but we had to do it anyway, for our grievances to be addressed.”
The players’ decision to strike has cast a shadow over the team’s preparations, raising concerns about their readi-ness and morale ahead of the high-profile fixture.
If they prevail over the visitors, making it to the Cup finals against the winners between MWOS and Triangle, Dynamos will be left with just one hurdle before they can etch their names into history.
Dembare could become the first club to win the Chibuku Super Cup, three consecutive times.
Yet, the club’s leadership led by Moses Maunganidze appear to be in some slumber and caring less about the goings on.
This has jeopardised their bid to keep their cup title defence mission on course.
This places coach Kelvin Kaindu in a fix, hoping to grind a Cup final appearance with an aggrieved team that has not fully trained.
He is aware that Bosso are not an easy opponent hence the need for his side to be in their best form.
“Last week we drew in a league game that we could have come up with maximum points,” Kaindu said.
“Now this is a cup game, a semi-final and we did not want to jeopardise it in any way.
“Looking at where we are in the PSL, the cup is the only consolation that we have right now, the major thing to fight for.
“We want to progress to the finals but we have an opponent that is strong, they will want to give it their all be-cause they are also not doing well in the league.
“Obviously they will come strong on us hence we need to throw in all our effort so I am hoping that despite every-thing happening around us, the boys will come to the party.”
Kaindu is also hopeful that their fans can help them through.
Last year the Dynamos players boycotted training for two days, once again ahead of a Chibuku Cup semi-final clash, against Manica Diamonds, at Rufaro.
Despite the internal disturbances, they went on to boot the Gem Boys out of the tournament, progressing into the finals through a penalty shoot-out.
If Dynamos was a company, the biggest losers would be the players. They must be made aware of it. So many players are waiting to grab chances to don those blue jerseys. Perhaps players aren’t aware that languishing in the murky waters of relegation is a problem they created and in all fairness, should have been fired. Nees was recently fired for poor performance with the Warriors. DeMbare players should have faced the same fate too. They should appreciate that their management has been very patient and forgiving for displaying such shocking performance throughout the season. It is time players are read the riot act. Their job description is to play football and WIN matches. Why should someone be paid for poor performance. Overall DeMbare players are lucky they are still in the team. They have been pathetic throughout the season.