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Augustine Hwata Senior Sports Reporter
ZIMBABWE Premiership kings Dynamos have made a commitment to take part in the African Champions League next year but the Glamour Boys are weighing the potential losses of the mission after their principal sponsors BancABC advised they will not bankroll the adventure.
The Harare giants are the most successful Zimbabwean team in the African Champions League after they reached the final in 1998 but lost to ASEC Mimosa in controversial fashion.
In 2008 Dynamos also had a good run and reached the semi-finals while they managed to get to the mini-league stages in 1999 and 2010.
However, DeMbare have failed to go beyond the second round in their last three campaigns in 2011, 2012 and 2013 despite continuing with their dominance in the Castle Lager Premiership.
Club chairman Kenny Mubaiwa yesterday said they had toyed with the idea of withdrawing from the competition next year after BancABC advised them that they will not be able to finance the team’s expedition across the continent.
This year Dynamos got a subsidy from Mbada Diamonds while BancABC also chipped in but the team failed to beat the challenge of Tunisian side Club Athletic Birzetin in the first round.
The Harare giants have until the end of tomorrow to formally register with Caf to play in the Champions League while How Mine are eligible for the Caf Confederation Cup.
DeMbare won their third successive Castle Lager Premiership title on the last day of the season when they defied all odds to pip Harare City and Highlanders in a photo-finish.
“We have decided to go and participate in the African Champions League for next year despite the fact that we do not have the financial resources,” said Mubaiwa.
“Our sponsors indicated that they will not be able to finance us (in the tournament).
“One option was to pull out but we felt that we would have let down our fans who want to see us playing against the best clubs in Africa.”
The lanky Harare businessman said his club will need close to half-a-million dollars to participate in the Champions League.
Most of the costs are chewed by airfares and hosting visiting teams.
“We will need over US$400 000 if we are to reach to the mini-league stage. Besides there are other overhead costs involved in the preparations,” said Mubaiwa.
Mubaiwa said playing in the Champions League was one way to gauge the level of Zimbabwean football against the rest of Africa, besides creating avenues to market their players to foreign clubs.
According to a communiqué from Caf, Dynamos should register by tomorrow while they have until December 31 to submit their initial squad list.
Some people already feel that the current Dynamos squad that lifted the Castle Lager Premiership is relatively lightweight and will not make a much progress like fellow southerners Orlando Pirates who reached the final this year.
Dynamos coach Callisto Pasuwa has already hinted that he wants to beef up his attack and his executive has given him the greenlight identify the players he needs to bring into the team.
“We should be beefing up the squad for the Champions League and we have asked him to look for players,” said Mubaiwa.
“Now we are going around to seek funds to fulfill our mission and fly the Zimbabwe flag. I am sure we should be approaching the new Sports Ministry to see how we could be helped.
“We have to play against the other champions, even if it means we have to ride bicycles to go to other countries.”
Sport, Arts and Culture Minister, Andrew Langa, recently told journalists that representative Zimbabwean sports teams will be assisted by his ministry to fulfill their international obligations from next year.
The Dynamos family appear to have pressed a button for their self destruction amid indications from their principal sponsors that BancABC officials were not amused when the club’s management did not acknowledge the role they played in funding the team this year.
Dynamos officials, players and coaches have all saluted their fans and congratulated each other without anyone, especially the leadership, paying tribute to the stabilising role that BancABC played in keeping the team oiled with their funding.
BancABC pay the salaries for the players and the technical staff, on a monthly basis, provide transport for the team and then take care of the kit and training equipment.
In recent days, Dynamos secretary-general Webster Chikengezha has revealed that he forked US$20 000 of his money to help the team during the season while Mubaiwa is reported to have chipped in with about US$130 000.
This pales in comparison with the US$884 000 that BancABC have pumped into Dynamos this year alone, with a further US$50 000 expected to be spent by the bank to cover its commitments at the club until the end of the year.
The Dynamos/BancABC deal comes to an end this year but authoritative sources have already told The Herald that the bank will commit itself to paying the salaries and supplying the kit in the new deal without carrying the weight of the Champions League baggage.
“There is a feeling at BancABC that the Dynamos officials have not given the sponsors their due credit in helping the team win the championship again this year,” the sources said.
“People have thanked the sponsors, the coaches, players and the fans and officials have even thanked each other for the roles that they played but noone has cared to thank the main sponsor who played a big part to make this possible.
“Of course, times are hard right now and the bank is also having another look at areas where it has been injecting substantial sums of money in support but when you have officials who feel their contribution is not being acknowledged, it’s unlikely that they will say let’s run the race and bear the costs even if they will leave a hole on our finances.
“The surprising thing, really, is that the leaders at Highlanders, who finished second, have already acknowledged the part that the sponsor played while those who finished first seem to have forgotten the sponsor.”
Online Reporter