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Tadious Manyepo
Sports Reporter
MURAPE MURAPE’S enduring spirit appears to be the magic behind Dynamos’ incredible performances in the African Safari.
The Glamour Boys can break further continental ground by becoming the only team from this country to have reached the group stages of both the CAF Champions League and the CAF Confederation Cup if they find requisite solutions in tomorrow’s problems.
Already the most prolific Zimbabwean club in African club competitions having reached the 1998 CAF Champions League final and the semi-final of the same contest 10 years later, DeMbare are this year chasing success in the second tier fiesta, the CAF Confederation Cup.
And they will break into the group phase if they avoid defeat to Botswana side Orapa United at the Obedi Itani Chilume Stadium in Francistown tomorrow.
The Harare giants carry a marginal 1-0 lead from the reverse fixture played at the same venue when they were the away team last Sunday.
If they can pull the result tomorrow, they will not only further galvanise the iconic place they occupy in the country’s football folklore, but also give one of their outstanding legends Murape Murape even bigger wings.
Having been part of both the 1998 and 2008 sides which performed wonders in the CAF Champions League, Murape will complete a remarkable tale of his own if Dynamos get the result tomorrow.
He is currently the Dynamos assistant coach in an interim set-up headed by Lloyd “Mablanyo” Chigowe.
“Oh, I never realised that. But it feels very good to have been part of the two outstanding teams of 1998 and 2008 as a player and now as a coach I can complete an unparalleled script as well,” said Murape.
“It’s something very good to be associated with such kind of success.
“I am definitely happy, but first things first, we need to find a way to the CAF Confederation Cup group stages by avoiding defeat against Orapa United.
“We are not even going into this match looking to avoid defeat but we will be out in all attack to extend our lead from the first game”.
Murape joined Dynamos as a teenager in 1997 graduating from the team’s juniors joining an array of stars at the Glamour Boys then that include Memory Mucherahohwa, Makwinji Soma-Phiri, Hope Chihota, Cloudious Zviripayi, Tonderai Mutambikwa, Lloyd Mutasa, Chamu Musanhu and Callisto Pasuwa among others.
He won the league title in his debut season and was a key member of the team that reached the final of the CAF Champions League only to controversially lose to Asec Mimosas of Cote d’Ivoire.
But the journey wasn’t all smooth sailing for the youngster who was badly injured on his knee which has remained deformed up to this day.
Nevertheless, Murape continued playing the game even against the advice of his medical team.
“The injury was very bad and my medical team told me to leave the game.
“But I wanted to continue and I did continue even with so much pain on the knee.
“I learnt to live with the pain, while enjoying my game,” said Murape.
“I just took the injury as some setback that soldiers also suffer at war but still continue to battle on. That’s what I did”.
And in 2001, Murape left the country for the United Kingdom where, instead of pursuing the game he loves dearly, he found himself doing menial jobs and later darting from one job to the other.
“I was always asking myself why I was not playing football because it’s the game that I love the most.
“That’s how I decided to return to Zimbabwe in 2004.
“We fought against relegation in 2005 and then in 2006 I briefly left to play for Buymore before returning the following year”.
And in 2007, Murape led Dynamos to the league title that they had last won when he joined the club 10 years earlier.
He also won the Soccer Star of the Year accolade that same year as the captain and led the Glamour Boys to the CAF Champions League semi-final where they lost to Cameroon’s Coton Sport Garoua.
Having won six league titles and been almost a CAF Champions league king, Murape’s remarkable story at Dynamos will get the sound make-up and cosmetics it thoroughly deserves if the Glamour Boys qualify to the group phase of the CAF Confederation Cup tomorrow.
Online Reporter