Online Reporter
Bernard Gwarada
Business Consultant
IN modern football, there is an intricate relationship between club owners and supporters. Supporters often feel alienated from the decision-making processes, which are made even more complex by the involvement of owners, who hold majority stakes.
It can be noted that some clubs have incorporated fan ownership models to mitigate against the development of such a situation.
Dynamos Football Club are facing a major crisis with angry fans intensifying calls for the owner Bernard Marriot, to step down, as they accuse him of running down the club.
Stewardship of football clubs
Responsible and ethical handling of club resources are critical in ensuring its long-term success.
It is vital that decisions be made in the best interests of the club taking into account the fans and the broader community, as opposed to making decisions purely concerned with short-term profit-making.
At Dynamos and according to media reports, how the club is managed, “has provoked extraordinary levels of anger fuelled by the fact that this decline is a result of a toxic mixture of arrogance, incompetence and stubbornness”. Supporters have expressed their discontent through chanting and protests during matches. Some have even called for game boycotts and there have been some online activism, all directed to the club owner.
Over the years, several new privately-owned clubs have emerged in Zimbabwe, often with significant financial backing and these include lately MWOS and Scottland.
Research appears to support the existence of an emerging model, which embraces fans’ involvement.
At Scottland it has been established that they engaged the services of seasoned administrators such as Nick Munyonga and the CEO Ronald Moyo. This has resulted in the increase of their fan base in their first year of top-flight football with a number of supporters’ chapters in all corners of the country, according to club secretary-general Fortune Bwoni.
Supporter’s psychological ownership
The psychological ownership theory describes the feeling of ownership one has towards something, even if they do not legally own it. The writer had snippet interviews with Dynamos fans to explore their experiences, understanding, motivations and team loyalty.
The notable result is that the supporters take a cynical attitude towards the club’s ownership. The majority do not know or do not believe Marriott is the major shareholder and they still think it is a community team hence the mantra “DeMbare ndeye yevanhu.”
This apparent demotivation by the fans brings up the point that the primary reason supporters attempt to become club owners lies in their sense of psychological ownership for their team. This is in contrast to the developments, for example, at Scottland whose fan base has apparently and unequivocally played a major role in strengthening the team’s profile and sense of purpose and direction.
It can, however, be noted that events at Dynamos are not a new phenomenon.
Supporters have tried and failed to boot out club owners. In Europe, after Malcolm Glazer took over Manchester United, the fans decided to form a competing FC Manchester United in 2005.
In Austria, dejected supporters unhappy with the actions of the owner of their club SV Austria Salzburg, created their own team in 2005.
In the German Bundesliga, there were protests against Hoffenheim owner Dietmar Hopp, fans lifted an offensive banner during a match between the team and Bayern Munich in February 2020.
The referee stopped the match and took the players from both teams off the pitch.
In all these situations, the fans failed to achieve their goal of forcing the club owners to step down. The primary reason for this failure by fans was because the club owners are, at law, the people in charge.
A question may be raised, whether fan involvement in club governance is a good thing or whether it is better for fans to keep out of boardroom matters altogether?
Ownership and control
The ownership model of a football club plays an important role in its overall success. Many clubs in Zimbabwe are owned by individuals or corporates, who make decisions that impact the club’s direction, finances and identity. At Dynamos, it must be noted that the person who the supporters want to be removed is the major shareholder. He is the club board chairman holding 51 percent of the shares and this grants him majority ownership.
This also gives him significant control over the club’s operations and decisions. It must be noted that in Zimbabwe there is no law that gives fans the power to hire and fire privately-owned club owners.
One can argue that at Dynamos the fans’ boycott call was not much of a success because of the different views held by the fans’ leadership.
Benjamin Munzira and Adomsi Mukwasi had contradictory views on the match boycotts and one could therefore see that it was set up for failure from the beginning.
There is a need for an executive management structure, which advises the club owner on matters related to the club operations, strategic planning, financial management, and player acquisitions. If the executive is not undertaking its tasks as agreed it creates an avenue of discontentment by stakeholders. The owner of the club should not use his position to willy-nilly override recommendations from the executive team.
Stakeholder engagement
In the football value chain, supporters play a very important role in the sense that a well-supported club benefits financially from the revenue generated through tickets and merchandise sales. Supporters are a source for alternative viewpoints, which astute leadership should consider before arriving at crucial decisions that affect the team.
It may also be noted that within the supporter’s ranks there is abundant football knowledge, talent, intellectual capacity, which can only be entirely ignored at the possible expense of the team. It is encouraging to note that Bernard Marriot made an effort to meet the fans to get to know the reasons behind their discontentment and whether their demands were justified.
Dynamos and CAPS United offer an interesting contrast in that while both are long-standing Premier League teams experiencing a bad spell, the supporters at CAPS United have, however, directed their anger at the technical team and not at club owner Farai Jere.
One may therefore assume that Jere and his Morton Dodzo-led administration are giving stakeholders and in particular supporters, due respect.
It is important to note that media engagement has the potential to impact fan engagement, revenue generation and the club’s overall image. This is something that football clubs ought to consider seriously as part of their strategies of remaining relevant and competitive.
Alternative Solutions
The situation at Dynamos requires a multiplicity of approaches for the regeneration of the club. In Zimbabwe, addressing the issue of club ownership is complex; however, strategies such as stronger governance, fan ownership models, transparency and accountability should be key areas of focus.
In Dynamos’ case, the owner may wish to consider the possibility of a change in ownership, which is exploring options such as selling shares to supporters or finding a new owner who can address their concerns.
If a sale is not possible, the owner can consider appointing an independent board to manage the club’s affairs and address the supporters’ concerns. Such pragmatic solutions may well save the day.
Dynamos are a big institution and widely considered the most supported club in Zimbabwe. Their historical profile is so significant that their struggles or setbacks can have a wider impact on the overall health and success of Zimbabwean football.
The best approach is therefore to be proactive, engage with supporters respectfully and seek legal counsel if needed.
l Bernard Gwarada is a Business Consultant and a Doctoral Research Candidate focusing on Entrepreneurial Innovation at Binary University. He is an alumnus of University of Pretoria and University of Leicester. He is a co-owner of former Premier League club Douglas Warriors FC and a former ZIFA Board member. He writes in his own capacity. For feedback: +263712430591 or email: [email protected]
