Murape deserved better from DeMbare

Local football clubs must treat their long-serving players with more respect than what is happening at the moment.

One good example is the way one of the country’s biggest clubs Dynamos have handled the issue regarding their long-serving captain Murape Murape.

The Glamour Boys leadership have made it clear that they are not prepared to renew the 34-year-old’s contract which expired at the end of last year.

Murape is one of the most decorated footballers in the history of the domestic Premiership after two very successful stints with the Glamour Boys.

The midfielder first broke into the DeMbare team as a raw teenager back in 1997 and went on to win five league trophies and numerous cup competitions.

His crowning moment came in 2007 when he was voted the Soccer Star of the Year after guiding the club to their first league title following a 10-year wait.

Yes, Murape can be troublesome at times but he has devoted almost his entire playing life to defending the blue and white DeMbare jersey.

At a time Murape is being hounded out of the club that he joined as a small boy and spent many years representing, a significant development was happening across the seas.

Long-serving Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard announced that he was not renewing his contract with the club and he was moving to the United States at the end of the current season.

The midfielder joined the Reds as an eight-year-old and spent his entire career at the club where he has made 695 appearances and scored 180 goals, winning 11 trophies.

Liverpool and Gerrard agreed to make the announcement in time and from now on until the end of the season, the midfielder would be given a proper send-off when his time at Anfield comes to an end.

Dynamos and Murape should have reached an agreement before the end of last season to ensure that their captain was given a befitting send-off by the club fans.

This is the same thing that happened when the club dumped former captain Desmond Maringwa in 2012.

There was no official last appearance for the loyal Maringwa and any plans for a testimonial match are off the table.

Murape and Maringwa deserve better treatment from the club they loyally served for many years. Daily News