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Eddie Chikamhi
Senior Sports Reporter
FOR a side that is looking to return to the CAF interclub competitions after a decade in the wilderness, the circumstances surrounding Dynamos’ defeat at the hands of bitter rivals Highlanders at Rufaro on Sunday spell doom for the sickly Harare giants.
DeMbare were outplayed by old rivals Highlanders in the 2-0 defeat at Rufaro on Sunday.
The discord in their camp during the preparations for the country’s biggest football fixture, as well as the underwhelming performance by the team, were unmistaken red flags.
Highlanders were well rewarded through goals from McKinnon Mushore and Godfrey Makaruse. This was the first time since 2018 that Dynamos lost both matches to Highlanders in one season.
DeMbare, who are also looking to return to the CAF interclub competitions next month, do not look like a side that will be able to recover and fight for the title this season.
Their coach, Genesis Mangombe, may feel otherwise, but the reality is that this current crop of Dynamos players will be lucky to finish in the top six. Currently, they are in sixth place with 24 points from 18 games. They trail log leaders FC Platinum by 14 points.
“As for the league, it’s still open,” declared Mangombe.
“We still have many games to play and if we change our mindset, our character and the way we present ourselves, and also adjust to the problems we have.
“Some problems are beyond us, like we don’t train and then we want to play. If you don’t train, you are bound to lose the game.
“You have to train first, and if there are some certain issues, then they are addressed after training. But at the same time, these boys also need their problems to be solved.”
Dynamos have been having challenges on and off the pitch for a long time, emanating mostly from administrative shortcomings, where the ownership of the club is being challenged in the courts by a group of former players.
The player boycotts last week and the subsequent defeat by Bosso were a stark wake-up call, especially as they look to return to the continental interclub football competitions.
Dynamos will represent Zimbabwe in the CAF Confederation Cup this year by winning the Chibuku Super Cup last season. They play Zesco United of Zambia in the first preliminary round set for August 16-18 at a foreign venue to be announced, since Zimbabwe does not have a CAF-approved stadium. Both matches are likely to be played in Zambia, with the return leg the following weekend of August 23-25.
“It is not a very difficult draw,” Mangombe said.
“We just have to put our house in order and be better organised in terms of our preparations. These current squabbles are not healthy for the team, and we cannot carry on like this if we want to achieve our targets in the competition.”
Mangombe is a survivor. His predecessor Herbert Maruwa was sacked last season after playing the same number of games and garnering 29 points. Maruwa left DeMbare in fourth place and were nine points adrift of then-log leaders Highlanders.
He is five points short of the tally that cost Maruwa his job and trails the current log leader by 14 points, which is twice the number of points that Maruwa’s team were trailing Highlanders when he was shown the exit.
DeMbare have an interesting fixture this week as they travel to Hwange. Mangombe is looking to beef up his strike force during the current transfer window, to end his team’s woes in front of goal. Dynamos have scored only 16 goals in 18 starts. He has since submitted his wish list for the mid-season
“Of course, the wish list is there. There are a few modalities that are being worked on. Maybe next week we might have something tangible; they (management) are still negotiating with the players and we will see how it goes,” said Mangombe.
Dynamos, in sixth, are now separated from fifth-placed Highlanders by five points on the log standings. Bosso have 29 points in the bag and are nine away from pacesetters FC Platinum.
Highlanders coach Kelvin Kaindu still believes the title race is still open to many teams despite the top three sides — FC Platinum, Simba Bhora and Ngezi Platinum Stars — winning their games and extending their tallies at the weekend.
“I think the league is a bit open for any team if you have seen how several teams have changed in terms of the teams that have been at the summit.
“We have been there about seven weeks, you also saw Manica Diamonds and FC Platinum. That shows how competitive the league is.
“So we just want to keep up the momentum. Every team is fighting but this victory (over Dynamos) gives us a bit of bravery. The points difference is not much with the teams that are on top,” said Kaindu.
FC Platinum opened a five-point gap at the top following their 2-1 win over newboys Chegutu Pirates. They now have 38 points from 18 outings. Ngezi Platinum Stars maintained pressure on the Zvishavane platinum miners following a 1-0 win over Arenel Movers, which landed them on 33 points.
Simba Bhora also have the same number of points, thanks to their slender 1-0 win over Manica Diamonds in a top-four battle.
The Gem Boys have not won in their last four outings and are now sitting in fourth place with 32 points.
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