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Langton Nyakwenda, Harare Bureau
THERE is a strong vibe in Mashonaland West province, and it appears everything good about football is happening in this mineral-rich province.
A week after Chegutu Pirates ended a four-decade wait to secure promotion into the Premier Soccer League, with a famous 2-1 win over Herentals Under-20 at Pfupajena sealing the deal, their neighbours Ngezi Platinum Stars are seeking a rare league and cup double.
Should Ngezi triumph today, it will be first time that a top-flight side has won both the Premiership title and the Chibuku Super Cup. Ngezi were crowned league champions at Barbourfields in Bulawayo last weekend and the Mhondoro miners could cap a memorable season by becoming the first side to also claim the Chibuku Super Cup in the same year.
Today they face Dynamos in a high-stakes Chibuku Super Cup final at Baobab in which the Harare giants are seeking to atone for their failure to land the league championship. A carnival atmosphere is expected at Baobab as thousands of DeMbare fans look to descend on Mhondoro-Ngezi in anticipation of a famous victory by their club.
Dynamos are yet to win the Chibuku Super Cup since the tournament’s inception in 2014. This is their second appearance in the final, after their 1-2 loss to Harare City at the National Sports Stadium in 2015. Ngezi are targeting their second sip of the Chibuku Super, having won the trophy in their debut season in 2016.
They were also losing finalists in 2019 and 2021.
But with history in the making, there is an added incentive for Ngezi to overcome Dynamos in front of the majority of their supporters, who could also not watch their league championship coronation that was staged at Barbourfields.
Dynamos have not won any silverware since the era of trailblazing coach Kalisto Pasuwa who left them in 2014.
DeMbare finished third for the second successive season following a shock 2-1 defeat by Yadah on the final day of the league programme.
That defeat to relegation-threatened Yadah did not go down well with most of the Dynamos fans, who are now demanding success in the Chibuku Super Cup as some measure of redemption. So, who wants this year’s Chibuku Super Cup more?
“We really want to lift this trophy,” Dynamos coach Genesis Mangombe said.
Mangombe and Ngezi coach Takesure Chiragwi sat on the same table during the Soccer Stars banquet on Friday night, cracked jokes and teased each other all night. But there is no time for jokes this afternoon. It’s back to serious business for both coaches.
“We are winding off the season and we want end on a high note,” said Mangombe.
Mangombe made his name at Yadah last season before joining Dynamos as Herbert Maruwa’s assistant at the beginning of the 2023 season. He took over from Maruwa in August and is now on 90 minutes away from winning his first major silverware.
“I am from a humble background. I come from Chipinge and it’s not easy to come from that part of the country and coach Dynamos. At times you think you are dreaming but at the end of the day it’s due to hard work. I always try to work very hard every day to improve myself.”
Mangombe salutes Dynamos for giving him a big stage to shine on.
“Coaching Dynamos is a very big achievement. Being at Dynamos helped me also to be appointed as Warriors assistant coach. Of course, I made a name while I was still at Yadah where I would do a lot of experiments, but DeMbare is a different cup of coffee. We played against Yadah last week and we lost, which was not good at all. But it happens in football.
But my boys now need to prove that Dynamos are still big a team by winning the Chibuku Super Cup. This game is very important for the club. We want to appease our fans and send a message to them that we can do it. But it’s not going to be easy, Ngezi have the advantage of playing at home so we will demand character from the boys.”
Chiragwi has little time to celebrate his crowning moment as the Premiership’s Coach of the Year. He wants to put the icing on the cake with victory today.
“We hope we finish on a high note but it’s not going to be easy against Dynamos. We are also playing in front of our fans and it would be nice to make them happy,” said Chiragwi.
Ngezi have a solid team that can upset DeMbare. Skipper and newly-crowned Soccer Star of the Year Qadr Amini, Golden Boot winner Takunda Benhura and goalkeeper and Soccer Star finalist Nelson Chadya are some of their key players.
DeMbare are banking on their midfield trio of Soccer Star of the Year runner-up Donald Mudadi, finalist Tanaka Shandirwa and the hard-working Junior Makunike. Rising forward Elton Chikona, voted the Most Promising Player of the Year, could also swing the pendulum in Dynamos’ favour. — X: @LangtonGuraz
Bongani Ndlovu