Online Reporter
Langton Nyakwenda
Zimpapers Sports Hub
DYNAMOS will always have a special place in the heart of Emmanuel Jalai.
Even as he faces the possibility of facing the Glamour Boys as an opponent at Rufaro this afternoon, Jalai still has a lot of respect for DeMbare.
“It’s going to be an emotional and sensitive game for me given that this is the club which gave me the platform, love and support.
“Dynamos made me who I am today,” the 27-year-old star defender told Zimpapers Sports Hub.
For over five years, Rufaro’s Vietnam Stand served as a source of inspiration for Jalai.
“l never thought this kind of moment would come, playing in front of the Vietnam Stand against Dynamos.
“But, such is the life of a footballer,” Jalai said.
The roving right-back rose from an unheralded player to a legend at DeMbare, where he won three straight Chibuku Super Cup titles.
Jalai was a favourite of the Vietnam Stand.
Last season, Jalai was instrumental when Dynamos survived relegation by a whisker, before packing his bags for South Africa’s Premiership side Durban City.
He returned home in July, on a six-month loan deal to Scottland who face Dynamos in a high stakes league match at Rufaro this afternoon.
It is the first time Jalai is facing Dynamos since his departure from the Glamour Boys early this year.
With Hardrock breathing heavily on their neck, log leaders Scottland are desperate for a win against Dynamos in this rearranged fixture.
Mabviravira currently enjoy a slender two-point advantage over the Kasongo Boys going into the last eight rounds of the 2026 Castle Lager Premier Soccer League.
While he enjoyed some commendable success with Dynamos, especially in the Chibuku Super Cup, Jalai did not win the league championship with the Glamour Boys.
He is hoping to bag his first championship medal with defending champions Scottland.
The energetic defender has to help Mabviravira beat his former paymasters.
It’s an awkward moment for the Norton bred star.
He says he bears no grudges with Dynamos, a club that propelled him to national prominence.
Thanks to the platform provided by DeMbare, Jalai earned a place in the Warriors that featured at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations finals in Morocco.
“My respect for the club (Dynamos) will never fade, that will never happen.
“But I am now employed at Scottland and I have to perform well and help the team win games and Cups. “I just hope for the best and l am sure this will be a very exciting game.”
If he gets the nod to start, Jalai could square up against Leeroy Mavhunga, the livewire Dynamos winger who is enjoying his game under new coach Aristica Cioaba.
Interestingly, Mavhunga was one of the stars who led Scottland into the Premiership.
So tight is the competition for jerseys at Scottland that no one is guaranteed a starting berth.
Coach Norman Mapeza has been on record saying that the new players who arrived during the midseason transfer window have to fight for their places in the starting line-up.
Ghanaian Issaka Mohammed has been trusted at right back but he can also play at centre back.
Mohammed partnered Kelvin Moyo when Scottland thumped FC Platinum 3-1 in a Chibuku Super Cup round of 16 match at Rufaro last Friday.
The fighting spirit within the Scottland camp has surprised Jalai.
“I can’t complain about my stay at Scottland so far,” he said.
“The desire of winning and also the competition within the team has surprised me.
