Online Reporter
Eddie Chikamhi
Zimpapers Sports Hub
It’s a crunch weekend for Zimbabwe’s two most iconic football clubs, CAPS United and Dynamos, as both giants return to action under heavy clouds of pressure, protest, and poor form.
The faithful followers won’t just be watching for goals; they’ll be looking for signs of life from two sleeping titans of local football.
After a chaotic week that saw the abrupt and controversial departure of their long-serving team manager, Shakespeare Chinogwenya, CAPS United are back on the grind today and all eyes are now firmly fixed on embattled head coach Lloyd Chitembwe.
The CAPS legend, who has watched his team lose four straight matches, kicks off a critical two-game ultimatum with this afternoon’s showdown against Yadah at Rufaro Stadium.
Interestingly, the same venue will host Dynamos tomorrow when they take on newly promoted Kwekwe United.
However, it remains to be seen if the cash-strapped Midlands side, which failed to honour their fixture against Herentals last week, will show up, or whether logistical and financial chaos will derail them again.
CAPS United: Cursed or Just Crumbling?
CAPS United’s recent headlines could pass for a sports drama series. Chinogwenya, a mainstay at the club for years, was dismissed in a whirlwind of accusations, the most sensational being claims of “juju” (witchcraft), allegedly casting a curse over the team’s disastrous form.
Many insiders believe Chinogwenya’s firing was a convenient diversion, a sacrificial act to distract from the team’s mounting losses. This is shaping up to be one of the club’s worst starts to a Premiership season in recent memory.
The club’s fanbase is not convinced the managerial sacrifice will fix anything. In fact, they’ve grown louder and more unified in their calls for Chitembwe’s dismissal, having staged two demonstrations at Rufaro to demand action.
Instead of parting ways with the coach, the CAPS hierarchy handed him a two-match lifeline: beat Yadah today and FC Platinum next week or face an overhaul.
Whispers around the Green Machine camp suggest the club is already preparing for change.
Former CAPS United player and ex-Zambia international Ian Bakala touched down in Harare on Thursday. Club sources indicate Bakala could join as either head coach or as Chitembwe’s assistant, depending on this week’s outcomes.
Chitembwe, opting to stay out of the spotlight for now, has delegated media duties to his assistant, Tonderai Marume, who insists the squad has stayed focused.
“As usual in each and every training session that we do, we try to ensure that our players do it at the highest level,” said Marume.
“We have been training every day from Tuesday and the performance levels at training have been high. We believe that you play the match the way you train.
“So, the intensity levels are okay; even if you look at the attitude, the players’ mentality is switched on. I think we are ready, we are prepared. The players are very positive.”
They’ll need to be. CAPS are winless in their last five matches and have managed just a single victory so far. With one win, one draw and five defeats, the Green Machine are perched second from the bottom, a placement that’s unacceptable for a club of its stature.
“We understand them, we understand their feelings, their pain,” said Marume, responding to the protests.
“Also if they were in our shoes I think they would also understand that it also pains us as coaches, players and other stakeholders of the club. The only thing now is for us to rectify, and it can only come from us playing well and getting the desired results.”
Unfortunately, CAPS will have to do so without key midfielder Tanaka Shandirwa, who is suspended for this match after accumulating three yellow cards.
Dynamos: A slide into history?
Across town, things are hardly more stable at Dynamos. Zimbabwe’s most decorated club is spiralling, and another loss this weekend would mark a dubious milestone, four consecutive league defeats, something they last suffered in 2019. For a team that’s traditionally hard to beat, even three losses in a row is a rarity. The potential fourth defeat isn’t just a number; it’s a symbol of deeper dysfunction at the club.
Behind the scenes, there’s talk of unrest. With frustrations bubbling, a section of Dynamos fans is mulling a boycott of Sunday’s fixture at Rufaro.
Plans for protest have been gaining traction on social media, calling out both poor administration and underwhelming performances on the pitch. Head coach Lloyd Chigowe is trying to keep the dressing room united.
“I try to take the responsibility and shield them away from the pressure,” he said.
“It’s definitely a high-pressure point three losses; it’s not ideal. It actually puts a lot of pressure on the technical team and probably on the senior players as well, because they’ve got to take responsibility for the results.
“We’ve held our discussions as a group and believe that we’ve done justice to the team.”
The numbers don’t paint a flattering picture. With just one win, three draws, and three defeats, Dynamos have only managed six points putting them two ahead of basement sides CAPS United and Triangle.
Their rough start is largely blamed on an unstable pre-season and yet another exodus of key players, which left the squad thin on experience and depth.
“The supporters obviously expect Dynamos to win games. Actually, it’s a divided opinion,” said Chigowe. “There are some who understand the predicament and obviously there are others who believe that the result must still come, whatever.
“As a coach, it is up to you now to reinvent and find a way to get over your problems because the major challenge of a coach is to solve the football problem. And in our case, we’ve got a divided base of supporters.
“Others who believe that the coaches must be given a long release so that they can consolidate the squad. And others who say the coaches have failed.”
Weekend Fixtures
Today: TelOne v Highlanders (Ascot), Bikita Minerals v Ngezi Platinum Stars (Gibbo), Yadah v CAPS United – LIVE ON ZTN PRIME ( Rufaro), FC Platinum v Triangle (Mandava), ZPC Kariba v Scotland (Nyamhunga), Simba Bhora v MWOS (Wadzanai), Manica Diamonds v Chicken Inn (Sakubva)
Tomorrow: Dynamos v Kwekwe United (Rufaro)
Don’t miss the live action on ZTN Prime (DStv Channel 294). Cameras turn to Rufaro Stadium this afternoon where CAPS United clash with Yadah in a potentially season-defining encounter. Coverage begins at 2:30pm.
