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Eddie Chikamhi
Senior Sports Reporter
DYNAMOS have expressed a strong desire to win the Chibuku Super Cup for the first time after they were paired with Premiership newcomers Simba Bhora for the first round of the 2023 edition.
The Glamour Boys, who were knocked out by FC Platinum at the quarter-final stage last year, have failed to make an impression in the knock-out tournament in the last decade.
The club’s secretary-general Webster Marechera yesterday said the 2023 Chibuku Super Cup is among their targets, in a year they are aiming to cap their 60th anniversary celebrations with a silverware.
Marechera, who was DeMbare’s representative at the draw yesterday, was excited with the date with Simba Bhora in the first round matches slated for the weekend of August 12-13.
New Boys Simba Bhora poached a number of former Dynamos players, including coach Tonderai Ndiraya and club chairman Isaiah Mupfurutsa, ahead of their debut Premiership season.
“This is a decent draw but again if you look at it it’s not an easy draw mainly given the fact that Simba Bhora have a number of former Dynamos players and coach who are not strangers to our type of play.
“So, it’s up to the Dynamos players and coaches to raise the gear and come out victorious,” said Mupfurutsa.
DeMbare’s best performance was reaching the finals in 2015. They were eliminated by FC Platinum via a penalty shoot-out last year, after their clash at the National Sports Stadium had ended goalless. The platinum miners prevailed 4-2 at the end of the tie-breaker.
“This is a trophy that has eluded us for a long time and it’s time we flex our muscles as one of the giants in the league.
“Of course, cup competitions are unpredictable. A good example is that last season no one would have given Herentals and Bulawayo Chiefs a chance to play in the final.
“But they ended up featuring in the final and Bulawayo Chiefs won it,” said Marechera.
Dynamos went into the draw yesterday on the back of a huge 5-1 win over Yadah, which ensured they finished the first half of the season in fourth place at the weekend. But inconsistency has been a major worry for coach Herbert Maruwa and his charges.
“Our boys should keep working hard. They should take it up from where they left off in that big win against Yadah. We can’t be blowing hot and cold. We can’t be winning big this week and then fail to win the next. We have to win our games consistently in both the league and cup competitions,” said Marechera.
Simba Bhora chairman Mupfurutsa yesterday said DeMbare should not expect a stroll in the park. The teams played a goalless draw in their first and only meeting during the first half of the league campaign.
“We have been looking forward to this competition,” said Mupfurutsa.
“Being a new kid on the block, we are excited to be going through this phase. It’s a learning phase and with this type of competition, we know that there is no real guarantee to any team. “Any team can win it, look at what happened last year. When people were gathered here (for the draw) they never thought of Herentals and Bulawayo Chiefs and Chiefs managed to lift the cup. So there is nothing impossible in football,” said Mupfurutsa.
The former Glamour Boys chairman also revealed Simba Bhora’s ambitions to play in Africa as winners of the country’s premier knock-out tournament.
“We go into any match with the intention of winning. So that’s the same approach we want to take when we go for this cup and if we win it will also be a good bonus for us because it will also lift us to another level especially given that we are now back into international football after the lifting of the suspension by FIFA. So it’s now a real incentive for us or any other team to win so that they can also have a dance in Africa,” said Mupfurutsa.
Chibuku Super Cup draw:
Preliminary round: August 9
Yadah v Cranborne Bullets, Sheasham v Black Rhinos
First Round: August 12-13
Highlanders v Bulawayo Chiefs, Ngezi Platinum Stars v Triangle, Manica Diamonds v Sheasham/Rhinos, Dynamos v Simba Bhora, Chicken Inn v GreenFuel, FC Platinum v Yadah/Cranborne Bullets, CAPS Utd v Hwange, Herentals v ZPC Kariba
Quarter-finals: September 23-24
Semi-final: October 28-29
Final: November 25
The Chibuku Super Cup tournament is expected to kick-off next Wednesday with preliminary round playoff matches pitting the bottom four teams in the league as at the current mid-season log standings.
The draw was conducted in Harare today, with sponsors Delta Beverages expressing satisfaction with the way the tournament has grown over the last decade.
Delta Corporation General Manager Sorghum Beer Business Marshall Pemhiwa said the tournament has produced magical moments.
“I am greatly honoured to be part of this journey. We met here two years ago and we committed to a three-year sponsorship package for this tournament and to say that this journey has been exciting will be a gross understatement.
“The journey has been nothing short of pure magic over the last two years and we are anticipating nothing less than magic again this year.
“Chibuku as a brand continues to take great pride in sponsoring soccer which allows us to engage intimately and connect with our consumers while fostering the bonds of brotherhood.
“In that regard I wish to extend our appreciation to our partners who have been instrumental in this journey to bring soccer to the people,” said Pemhiwa.
The tournament is set to kick off next Wednesday as Yadah play Cranborne Bullets while new boys Sheasham face Black Rhinos in the Preliminary round playoffs.
The two winners then join the top 14 sides in the round of 16.
The top eight teams as of the current Week 17 log standings were the seeded sides and will start at home.
An interesting fixture is on the cards as defending champions Bulawayo Chiefs and Highlanders clash in a Bulawayo Derby during the first round clashes on the weekend of August 12-13.
The quarter-finals have been pencilled in for September 23-24 while the semis will be played on October 28-29. The finals have been set for November 25. The venues will be determined by the organisers.
The winners will pocket US$75 000 prize money and a ticket to represent Zimbabwe in the next edition of the CAF Confederation Cup.
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