Online Reporter
Curtworth Masango
Zimpapers Sports Hub
AFTER a season spent in silence, pain and uncertainty, injured midfielder Fred Alick has been handed a career lifeline by Dynamos.
The same club that left him stranded with a serious knee injury and a ticking contract last season has now stepped in with a promise of surgery and a fresh deal.
Alick’s once promising career slammed into a wall when he suffered a knee injury that required urgent surgery. Doctors advised immediate intervention, but the club’s previous administration failed to act. He was left unable to play, unpaid, and drifting towards the end of his contract.
By the time his deal expired, Alick was still injured, still untreated, and completely alone.
“I was stuck, completely,” said Alick, laying bare the reality of those months.
“My future was off the pitch. I was thinking of going to Cape Town, South Africa, just to find any job to survive. Without football, I have no means.”
His situation became the first real test for Dynamos’ new executive committee, led by chairman Vincent Chawonza, which has publicly committed itself to restoring trust and placing player welfare at the centre of the club’s rebuild.
The new leadership moved quickly. They have pledged to settle Alick’s outstanding hospital bills and to finance the surgery that could save his career. Beyond that, they have also committed to offering him a new contract once he recovers.
“The club has now assessed my situation,” said Alick.
“They promised to take care of the hospital bills. I am looking forward to it. The surgery needs US $4 800.”
This intervention goes far beyond medical care. It is a rescue mission for a footballer who had reached the edge of professional exile.
Without the operation, Alick’s playing days were effectively over. With Dynamos now stepping in, there is once again a clear path back to the pitch and a future in the game.
Chawonza’s arrival signals a leadership keen to repair broken relationships and rebuild confidence among players, supporters and corporate partners alike.
“We are building the Dynamos everyone needs to see, and the reason why we are pushing to secure the signature of Calisto Pasuwa as head coach. I am sure all the fans are eager to see him walk out that dugout when we play the Castle Challenge Cup.
“With the same intention and purpose, we are also knocking on the doors of our esteemed corporate partners. They want transparency and that’s what we are giving them.”
For Chawonza and his team, the clock is already ticking. Expectations are rising, patience is thin, and every decision carries weight. For Fred Alick, though, the immediate battle is simpler and far more personal. Football has given him another chance.
Are football clubs obliged to come to the rescue of players that get injured while playing the game, even if there is no medical insurance included in the contract? We have seen sports reporters writing sensational articles about players that would have been “abandoned” by their clubs after sustaining injuries while on duty. Isn’t it a requirement that every player must have medical cover?