Online Reporter
Sharuko on Saturday
THIS was the Harare Derby as some of us had known it – a rainbow of colours, a cathedral of thousands of fans and a grand theatre of their football dreams.
This was the Harare Derby we had been missing – the compelling drama, the nerves, the boundless joy, the excruciating pain, the tears and the fears.
This was the Harare Derby as it should always be – a colourful and beautiful exhibition of the best image of football in the capital.
It was a throwback to a golden past, before the new millennium arrived, back in the ‘80s and ‘90s when this annual showdown between the capital’s two heavyweights was the flagship fixture of the PSL.
Someone told me that Charles “CNN” Mabika, the greatest of us all when it comes to the local football writing and commentating industry, said scenes like these had last been seen 30 years ago.
I didn’t hear CNN say that, but if, indeed, he said that, I wouldn’t disagree with him in any way.
It took us back to ’96 – that golden generation of CAPS United stars, which went toe-to-toe with a fine collection of Dynamos stars and, in the end, won their first championship after Independence.
It was a vintage Green Machine – Joe Mugabe, Silver Chigwenje, Alois Bunjira, Stewart Murisa, Morgan Nkathazo, Lloyd Chitembwe, Farai Mbidzo, George Mudiwa and they even had a defender nicknamed the “Dealer”.
His real name is Frank Nyamukuta.
They thoroughly deserved their league title, but very little credit is given to that Dynamos side which pushed them all the way in a riveting championship race which, ultimately, was decided by one shot from a dead ball.
When you break down all the statistics from that golden season you will see that it all came down to one shot – a thunderous free-kick which was taken by Mphumelelo Dzowa which the gods of football, somehow, made sure it had to be taken towards the City End Stand.
The stand which is the spiritual home of the CAPS United faithful.
That golden goal helped the Green Machine force a 1-1 draw and that point turned out to be priceless at the end of the season as CAPS United won the championship.
For all the CAPS United fans, under the age of 16, which means a whole bunch of teenagers and others, it was the first championship they had seen their club win in their lives.
The Green Machine finished their campaign on 71 points, while the Glamour Boys finished their campaign on 68 points.
If Era Muna, which was Mphumelelo’s nickname, had not scored that wonder goal, and DeMbare had won that match, it means the two giants would have ended the season deadlocked at 70 points.
DeMbare would have won that league championship by virtue of having a superior goal difference (+54) compared to Makepekepe’s (+47).
They had also won the previous championship, after scoring more goals than Blackpool, after the two clubs ended with a deadlock on points and goal difference.
It’s what they had done in 1983 when they ended with the same number of points as Rio Tinto.
And, that’s what they would do again in 2012 and 2013 when they ended with the same number of points as Highlanders.
Maybe, the football gods were right, in ’96, that it shouldn’t end in a deadlock, which seemingly only benefitted one team.
CAPS WON ON SUNDAY, AND DESERVEDLY SO
On Sunday, CAPS United won, and deservedly so.
They were the better team throughout the lively contest and they opened the Dynamos defence, now and again, at times seemingly at will, but they kept spurning their chances.
And, that’s a dangerous thing to do in a Derby.
Predictably, it almost backfired for them when DeMbare equalised before a late penalty won the game for the Green Machine.
While CAPS deserved their three points, I have to say that at some point, I didn’t want either side to lose – for the sake of those fans who had come in numbers, with my heart telling me that neither group of supporters deserved to go home in pain.
But, that’s football – there are winners and losers.
I think CAPS have a better team than Dynamos, they recruited in time, recruited well and they clearly knew the areas they needed to strengthen.
DeMbare’s recruitment was late, they lost a lot of time amid the uncertainty of who would be leading the club’s executive, they lost a coach who appeared tailor-made for their team and they lost their inspirational skipper Emmanuel Jalai.
By the time they ventured into the market, most of the good players had already committed themselves elsewhere, including a player they signed a few years ago, O’briel Chrinda, who was now at CAPS United.
To their credit, they haven’t been the train crash that we feared when they conceded five goals in that hammering at the hands of Scottland in a Castle Challenge Cup at Rufaro on March 1.
Harmony Nare, the goalkeeper who conceded those five goals and was subsequently dropped, was probably the man-of-the-match in the Derby, in his comeback match, with a number of fine saves.
Questions, though, have to be asked about his graphic weaknesses when it comes to crosses swung into the box, and the way he fails to organise his defence in such situations.
He conceded from a corner against CAPS United and conceded again from a corner against Herentals, four days later.
In both matches Dynamos scored three goals, to be precise, but they took just a point after conceding at the death in the two games.
That’s a sign of a fundamental weakness in the defensive structure, conceding six goals in three matches, with the opponents (Chicken Inn, CAPS United and Herentals) all scoring two goals apiece.
There is also a case of poor concentration, in the dying moments, as they have been caught up in time added on in their last two matches.
It’s exactly the opposite of what we are seeing at CAPS United where there is a never-die-spirit which has seen them win the Derby in the last minute and also pick a deserved point against bogey side MWOS, in the very last minute.
TURNING ON BUNJIRA, HAMMERING A LEGEND
That was the same never-say-die spirit, which powered the Class of ’96 to the league title, as a charging Dynamos refused to give up their crown without a fight.
To understand that this was a special group of Glamour Boys, who do not get the credit they deserved for helping turn that ’96 championship race into a spectacle, one just needs to take another look at the statistics from that season.
For all the swashbuckling attacking talent that CAPS United had that season, it’s remarkable that Dynamos ended up having scored more goals than the Green Machine – (79 for the Glamour Boys and 75 for Makepekepe).
They also ended up with a better defence (26 goals conceded by DeMbare and 27 goals conceded by the Green Machine).
Of course, in terms of the goals scored, DeMbare’s cause was helped, in a big way, by the serious injury which Bunjira suffered, halfway into the season, which eliminated CAPS United’s main goal threat from the equation.
That Bunjira still ended up as the Golden Boot winner says everything about how good a goal-scorer he was that season.
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the year when Bunjira and company finally ended CAPS United’s lengthy wait for their first league title in Independent Zimbabwe.
There is a huge chunk of CAPS United fans, those who are 29 years and below, who know nothing about the Class of ’96 and how that golden generation powered their way to immortality.
It’s very likely that, to them, Bunjira is just another former CAPS United player.
The reality is that he is NOT.
He is a special CAPS United son, who deserves a lot of respect.
And, that he is the only one, from that Class of ’96, who is still working actively in the leadership structures of the team, shows that he is not just another ex-player.
On Wednesday afternoon, a section of the CAPS United fans turned against him and sang some derogatory songs in which his name was rubbished in such graphic terms it was difficult not to feel sorry for him.
He was not at Rufaro, and just as well he wasn’t.
Those fans then came to the main VIP Entrance and continued hammering Bunjira with those derogatory songs.
Those fans were unhappy that Bunjira had cautioned them not to rubbish the names of some key people, who are connected to Scottland, in the song they sang during the Derby.
It’s difficult, if not impossible, to control what the fans sing about and there is a very thin line between banter and songs laced with abuse.
Some Liverpool fans love to sing about Manchester United players dying on the Munich tarmac and in turn, some United fans love to sing about Liverpool fans dying at Hillsborough.
Whether I agree or don’t agree with Bunjira is irrelevant.
What I feel is that the abuse that he has taken on social media, and at Rufaro on Wednesday, is not consistent with whatever “crime” that he committed.
And, as a CAPS United legend, he deserves a bit of respect – even on the occasion he misfires.
After all, he is just human, like all of us.
To God Be The Glory
Peace to the GEPA Chief, the Big Fish, George Norton, Daily Service, Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse and all the Chakariboys still in the struggle.
Come on Warriors!!!!!!!!!!!!
Antoniooooooooooooo!
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