SAKUNDA BOOST FOR DEMBARE

Eddie Chikamhi

Zimpapers Sports Hub

THEY may have been slow off the blocks in terms of their 2026 Castle Lager Premier Soccer League pre-season preparations, but it seems there is some light at the end of the tunnel for Dynamos.

There is a ray of hope glimmering through the dark clouds for the ailing giants amid revelations yesterday that they are now close to agreeing to a return of full sponsorship by their long-time benefactors, Sakunda Holdings.

Dynamos had apparently been living on a hand-to-mouth basis since the energy giants slashed their sponsorship to only cater for the salaries of the players a few years back.

But according to sources, the Glamour Boys appear to have convinced their sponsors that they have put their house in order and understood to have managed to lure back Sakunda Holdings.

It is understood that a tantalising package, believed to be around US$2,5 million per year, is under consideration in a massive bid that could catapult Dynamos back to their lost glamour.

Sakunda Holdings are also expected to chip in with a separate sponsorship for this year’s CAF Confederation Cup sojourn.

Dynamos withdrew from the continental competition last year after they won; they had won their second successive Chibuku Super Cup title.

But they are keen on returning to the African Safari this year, and budgets for the CAF second-tier inter-club competition are expected to be tabled next week.

There was also good news for the Dynamos boardroom on Thursday with club board chairman Bernard Marriot-Lusengo being presented with a 2025 Toyota Fortuner by Sakunda Holdings as part of the revived sponsorship package.

Sources said the negotiations between DeMbare and Sakunda Holdings were still ongoing, and an official sponsorship unveiling will be conducted once all the nitty-gritty has been agreed upon.

“It all looks promising,” said a club official who preferred anonymity.

“But we are not going to pre-empt the details of these negotiations because there will be an official unveiling to announce the sponsorship deal. We should be working on the budgets by Monday.”

Sakunda Holdings have been the principal sponsors of Dynamos since 2021 when they signed a three-year deal that covered funds for player and technical team salaries, signing-on fees, and general club expenses.

They also provided kit sponsorship, with Adidas often providing the apparel.

The deal also covered DeMbare’s rivals, Highlanders, as the two giants enjoyed a period of financial stability between 2021 and 2023. Although Sakunda Holdings could not renew the marriage when the contract expired at the end of the 2023 season, they continued paying salaries for players and the technical team.

This has helped both Dynamos and Highlanders to scrape through, in the absence of other sponsorship avenues.

The talk about the possible renewal of the deal should come as good news for the Glamour Boys who last year had to survive relegation on the final day of the campaign, largely due to a lack of funding to compete with their well-resourced peers in the league.

DeMbare are also understood to be re-engaging another former sponsor Gold Leaf Tobacco, who also had a lucrative relationship with the Glamour Boys between 2020 and 2021 under their Remington Gold tobacco brand.

They have also targeted financial services company Access Finance for another possible deal.

Negotiations have also intensified with 90 Minutes for kit sponsorship. The company representatives have since made their presentations and impressed the Harare giants’ leadership.

The football apparel makers are expected to provide playing kits, training and travelling gear, replicas and other equipment. The finer details of the proposed deal are yet to be thrashed out.

New club chairman Vincent Chawonza was not keen to discuss the manoeuvres by the DeMbare executive.

“We are still new in the office. Our executive was appointed less than two weeks ago, and at this point we don’t want to be talking about activities happening behind the scenes. We need to work quietly, and if anything crops up, we will make an official announcement,” he said.

Dynamos appointed former coach Genesis Mangombe this week to start preparing for the season which will begin with the February 28 Castle Challenge Cup clash against league champions Scottland.

Mangombe has the mandate to transform the giants into a competitive outfit again.

Dynamos last won the league title under Kalisto Pasuwa back in 2014 when the club legend, now in charge of Malawi sealed his trendsetting championship four-peat.