Mangombe loses dressing room

Bruce Chikuni, Harare Bureau

DYNAMOS coach, Genesis Mangombe has reportedly lost 60 percent of the dressing room according to a senior club official. It is claimed some of the senior players who fell out with Mangombe are captain Frank Makarati, Issa Sadiki, Donald Mudadi, Tanaka Shandirwa, Shadreck Nyahwa, Kelvin Moyo, Martin Mapisa and Elie Ilunga.

Players are accusing Mangombe of making them scapegoats for the teams’ results each time they lose as they have just registered just five wins in 18 attempts. And, a bet is said to have been also placed with Mangombe vowing to outlast the players at the club. Mangombe is believed to have lost faith in Makarati, the most-paid player at the club who is being overlooked.

At first, Mangombe’s excuse not to play Makarati was that he was struggling with a knee injury. Makarati has been on Dynamos’ bench in their last three games and he has not played a minute during the period under review, which has led many to believe there’s genuine bad blood between the two.

There was confusion just before kick off against Highlanders at Rufaro on Sunday when there were attempts to change the starting line-up with Makarati coming in for Tendaishe Magwaza but, in the end, the skipper sat out. Shandirwa and Sadiki were once recognised as loyal to the rookie coach, but it is now claimed they have since shifted goalposts.

Interestingly, Mangombe played a vital role in securing a loan deal for this duo from their parent club Yadah Stars where he was coach before joining DeMbare. Shandirwa’s fallout is understood to have emanated from the moment Mangombe blasted the influential midfielder telling the media he had lost his way due to culture shock.

Their relationship is said to have never been the same ever since that moment. Sadiki is said to have lost respect when Mangombe was telling some fans and key members that he was behind Shandirwa’s downfall as the pair appeared inseparable, something which did not amuse the winger.

Nyahwa, Moyo and Mapisa are being accused of being ringleaders of revolts, which are now rocking DeMbare monthly. And, this trio was excused from the team that stumbled to a 0-2 loss at the hands of Highlanders on Sunday. Mudadi and Ilunga are being cornered for being too close to TelOne coach, Herbert Maruwa.

Mangombe replaced Maruwa just towards the end of the last campaign and the latter is the one who brought Ilunga from Black Rhinos and Mudadi from Harare City having also worked with him at Chauya Chipembere before their reunion at the Sunshine Boys. Mudadi’s contract is expected to expire at the end of the season and our source said he has vowed not to extend his stay if the environment does not change before the end of the season.

Mangombe is adamant that even if Makarati and Nyahwa had played on Sunday, they were not going to make any difference. “I don’t think they could have made a huge difference because if you see the way we conceded our first goal, it was from a near post on an acute angle and for the second goal we only needed someone to be there to clear that line, which means our reaction was just poor maybe because of our fitness level.

“We still have many games to play and if we change our mind, character and the way we present ourselves and adjust to the problems we have, the results will come. You can’t play without training and we must learn that issues can be addressed after the game,” said Mangombe.

Dynamos makes a long trip to the Colliery on Sunday for a date with Hwange, who are second from the bottom. In the reverse fixture at Barbourfields early this year, Hwange came from two goals down to force a 2-2 draw.