Online Reporter
Curtworth Masango
Zimpapers Sports Hub
Dynamos is facing an unprecedented crisis as furious fans intensify calls for owner Bernard Marriott to step down, accusing him of running down the football club.
The growing unrest follows years of legal battles in which multiple court rulings declared Marriott the rightful owner, despite longstanding claims that the club was traditionally managed by a collective of stakeholders.
Now, with Marriott visibly out of sorts, struggling to steer the ship, supporters fear Dynamos is on the brink of collapse under his leadership.
Protests erupted outside Rufaro on Sunday after a 1-0 loss against Chicken Inn.
Many fans sang against Marriott and his executive, with a few blaming the coach for the poor start to the season.
“Dynamos was never a one man property, its ours, it belonged to us,” said one frustrated fan. “Marriott manipulated the system to take control, and now he’s running the club into the ground.”
The courts, however, have proved otherwise.
The discontent has been fueled by Marriott’s recent backing of an executive team widely viewed as incompetent.
The new administration has failed to secure basic resources for the squad and taking seriously the welfare of the club’s workers.
Head coach Lloyd Chigowe reportedly went out of his way to recruit players ahead of the new season, using his relationship with some players, exposing deep dysfunction within the club’s hierarchy.
The tide did not pacify as the poor preparations for the new season have been exposed by the club’s poor start.
Many fear that the club might be relegated for good into lower divisions if things do not change.
“Dynamos is in freefall,” said a former club official who requested anonymity. “Marriott doesn’t have the energy or the strategy to fix this. The fans are right, this is no longer the Dynamos we knew.”
As pressure mounts, with fan protests gaining momentum, there are whispers of fresh legal challenges to Marriott’s ownership.
A coalition of former stakeholders is reportedly exploring avenues to contest his control, arguing that the club’s original ownership structure must be restored.
But this bid faces a big brick wall, considering that Marriot is the only remaining, with all the other co-founders of the club deceased.
