admin
The Harare giants were cruelly exposed on the continent, winning just one game in six matches in the Champions League and Confederation Cup, losing two and drawing three, scoring only four goals and conceding 10.
DeMbare’s only victory was a 1-0 home win against Mozambican lightweights, Liga Muculamana, while three of their four goals were all scored by Takesure
Chinyama, who is set to leave the club for South African champions, Orlando Pirates.
Reports have been circulating that Pasuwa has been sitting on a three-game ultimatum, in which he won two and lost one, triggering a wave of speculation that he was set to be sacrificed with Moses Chunga or Keegan Mumba, who recently revealed he was dying for a reunion with Zimbabwean football, set for comebacks.
Club boss, Mubaiwa, said Pasuwa’s job was safe, despite the loss in Angola, and rather than focus on the coach, DeMbare needed to look at strengthening the team with players who could make a difference both at home and on the continent.
Mubaiwa, told The Herald yesterday that Pasuwa will stay on as coach and his main mission now was to retain the domestic Premiership crown and ensure that
DeMbare would still be champions by the time they celebrate their Golden Jubilee celebrations next year.
“I have been looking at the issue of the coaches and these guys came here (at Dynamos) in July last year and won the league title and the Mbada Diamonds Cup,” said Mubaiwa.
“I believe they have the qualities and I am of the opinion that we threw them at the deep end in the Champions League and the Confederation Cup because they don’t have the experience. I take it as a learning curve and from those lessons they now know what is expected at this level. If you ask me, my personal opinion as the chairman, I feel we should give them another chance.
“Changing coaches at this moment when we are chasing the league title would be disruptive. Remember next year we are celebrating our Golden Jubilee and we need to do that with the championship medal in our cabinet and we also aim to win all the trophies that will be on offer to show that we have come of age as a club.” The DeMbare chairman revealed that the executive had gone an extra mile on Sunday to motivate the players by promising a winning bonus of US$500 per player and another US$50 extra incentive for each player for every goal they were to score in Angola.
“We were very confident because this is the first time in many years that Dynamos has had a sponsor,” said Mubaiwa.
“This year planning was a lot easier because we had the resources unlike the other years when we plan without money.”
DeMbare’s entire campaign on the continent was bankrolled by their principal sponsors, BancABC.
Club secretary-general, Ray Kazembe, said the Glamour Boys came way short of their expectations on the continent, in the year they also suffered the indignity of a six-goal thrashing in Tunisia, but they were not going to be careless in their decision making and will approach the future with a sober mind.
Kazembe conceded that he had been inundated by calls from concerned fans and stakeholders in the Glamour Boys family reeling from the club’s failure to clear just one hurdle and move into the last eight of the Confederation Cup.
“There is no question that we failed to make the impact that we wanted in the Champions League and Confederation Cup and our campaign in both tournaments came way short of expectations and, you also have to remember that we will also be stalked by that 6-0 defeat in Tunisia,” said Kazembe.
“There is concern, obviously, about where we got it wrong and a lot of people who have interest in the club have been making enquiries and giving us their input following the loss in Angola and the phone hasn’t stopped ringing.
“But we have to assess the situation with a sober mind and I believe that as an executive, when we get to meet and discuss this issue further, we will come up with decisions that can strengthen the team as we go forward.” DeMbare were paid a surprise visit in Luanda by former Angolan international Ze Kalanga who has indicated that he wanted to join the Harare giants.
Kalanga’s agent met Mubaiwa and Pasuwa and indicated that they will be coming to Harare this week to start negotiations.
Pasuwa said he would need to assess the player before engaging in anything serious.
“We talked to his agent and he said he might come to Harare next week to discuss the matter with the executive. He said Kalanga is eager to join Dynamos,” said
Pasuwa. “I know him from the Angolan national team that played at the 2006 World Cup that he is a good player, but I am not sure about his fitness. We will have to see about that.” Pasuwa conceded that they shot themselves in the foot in the goalless first leg in Harare.
“We played better than we did in the first leg at home but we could not score. We knew they would come to us and we had to congest the midfield,” said Pasuwa.
“Maybe we lost the plot when we drew in Harare. We should have got a goal and won that game, which is usually the safest thing to do in Africa. But we didn’t do well in that match. We were hoping to get the goals in Angola but we couldn’t take the few chances that came our way.
“We lacked that sharpness in front of goal again. Interclube got one clear chance and they put it away.”
With focus now on the home front, DeMbare have been hoping to boost their squad but they are unlikely to get their immediate targets, Donald Ngoma and the league’s leading scorer, Nelson Mazivisa, because their parent club, FC Platinum, consider the Glamour Boys their big rivals.
Online Reporter