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Eddie Chikamhi, Senior Sports Reporter
DYNAMOS are confident they will beat the CAF deadline for the registration of players to participate in the Confederation Cup that begins next month.
The Harare giants, along with Ngezi Platinum Stars who will represent Zimbabwe in the CAF Champions League, have less than 48 hours to finalise their squads for the African Safari.
The 20-day CAF player registration window opened on July 1 and the deadline is set to lapse at midnight.
DeMbare chief executive Jonathan Mashingaidze told Zimpapers Sports Hub that his club has made strides in the required paperwork.
“We have been working round the clock to ensure everything is in place. The club is also working with ZIFA, who are the responsible authorities to effect the registrations, and most of the information that is wanted at CAF has been uploaded online.
“We should be releasing the club’s position on the squad registration I think tomorrow (today). There are some modalities that are still being worked on.
“Remember we already have our 30 players that have been playing in the local competitions. But African Safari is not for the faint-hearted.
“That is why you see that most of the clubs involved in these competitions mean business when they come to this. So, we are also preparing for that,” said Mashingaidze.
CAF have made it clear in their regulations that late registrations will attract a fine of US$250 per player. Should Dynamos wish to register a foreign player, rules stipulate that his ITC should have been processed before the deadline lapses.
The Glamour Boys, however, have not made any official signings to date to bolster their squad for the gruelling road ahead.
Former defenders Victor Kamhuka and Ocean Mushure, who has been playing in Zambia, are believed to be angling for a return to the Glamour Boys.
But coach Genesis Mangombe, stung by his team’s struggles in front of goal in the Castle Lager Premiership, has been on record he wanted reputable strikers.
DeMbare will also need to confirm to CAF their choice of home venue by today. The club has since indicated they would want to adopt Orlando Stadium in South Africa, since Zimbabwe has no homologated stadiums.
On their return to Africa after more than a decade, Dynamos were drawn to play Zambian outfit Zesco United in the first preliminary round.
Mangombe and his troops will be the home side in the first leg with both matches scheduled for between August 17 and August 24.
DeMbare are looking to depart for South Africa at least five days before the match in order to acclimatise.
“We look to embark in thorough preparations. The preparation programme will be released, and this will be followed until we depart for Johannesburg at least five days before the match. As the home team, we need more time to acclimatise with the environment at our adopted home,” said Mashingaidze.
Dynamos were among the 109 clubs granted Club Licencing by CAF this week.
According to CAF, all clubs that qualify on sporting merit for CAF interclub competitions must be granted a licence before they can be eligible to compete in CAF Interclub competitions.
As a result, several clubs across the continent have undergone a licencing process at the level of their respective national association in view of their participation in the CAF Interclub competitions.
Before the granting of a licence, the following elements are considered at each club: Sporting infrastructure, Personnel and Administrative, Legal, and Financial.
For the current club licensing cycle, the deadline date for submission of all the licensing decisions and documents was June 30, 2024.
Through the effective implementation of the CAF Club Licencing process, a number of disputes related to the overdue payables in the financial criteria were settled by the engaged clubs in order to comply with the CAF men’s club licencing regulations.
“That we have been granted a licence means that we managed to fulfil all the requirements of the club licensing. We are making strides, and we are glad we have been licenced,” said Mashingaidze.
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