By Grace Chingoma
Lloyd Mutasa has been spared the chop, with Dynamos boss Kenny Mubaiwa saying his leadership won’t change their technical team while dismissing a flood of reports that some senior players, notably Zimbabwe international goalkeeper Tatenda Mukuruva, are part of cartel sabotaging the Glamour Boys.
But his long-term future at the club remains a doubt because the DeMbare leadership have revealed that they will only start considering the possibility of looking for another coach when it becomes clear that they are definitely out of the championship race.
There had been expectations that Mutasa could be sacked after Dynamos, winners of four league titles in the past five years, have failed to win in six league matches on the bounce while also drifting 11 points behind leaders FC Platinum who appear locked in a two-way battle for the league title with CAPS United.
DeMbare have dropped 13 points in their last six league matches and only Masimba Mambare — who isn’t known as a goal-scoring king — scoring twice during that barren spell in which they suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of bottom club Border Strikers in Beitbridge which many, in the club, felt would have been the end of Mutasa’s dance with the club.
But Mubaiwa, whose management style has also been questioned despite holding the impressive record of guiding the Glamour Boys to four straight league titles, told The Herald yesterday that his leadership will not crack the whip by dissolving their technical team led by Mutasa who has been fired, before, from the same job.
Mubaiwa even feels that there is so much to play for in the remainder of the league championship that only cowards can throw in the towel and insisted that Dynamos, specialists of a staging a spirited show in the final stages of the campaign, could still be crowned champions this season.
However, for that to happen, DeMbare will pray that their misfiring, if not Division Two material strikers — who have been an insult to the high standards set by forwards of yesteryear like Gift “Ghetto” M’pariwa and Charles “Chola” Chirwa — can suddenly transform themselves into goal-scoring machines.
DeMbare will also hope that FC Platinum and CAPS United, who have set the bar in this league championship campaign, can collapse in dramatic fashion in the final phase of this marathon.
Mubaiwa said any change would harm, instead of improving, the Glamour Boys.
Their next game, as if on cue, is against club legend Moses Chunga’s Harare City.
“We have hope that things will be fine. Rough patches are normal in football but I believe we are still in the race and we can still win the league title so everything should be fine again,” said Mubaiwa.
“At the moment, we can’t afford to change things because a new coach will want to rebuild and demand five games, or so, to work with the team before he can be judged and that is 15 crucial points.
“Until that period when there is no longer hope for the league title for us then we can start talking about a new coach and rebuilding but for now we still have hope and we will soldier on.
“This technical team have been around since the season began, they are used to the system, once we end this drought and the team is back on track they can fight for the championship together with other top teams.”
The club’s leader says there is a missing link in the team and once the coaches address that the Glamour Boys will be firing.
“We are lacking, once we get around that things will be fine. We have good players and we are not a bad team but it is just that we are not scoring goals,” he said.
Mubaiwa dismissed the allegations of sabotage from some of the senior players.
“If you look at these players football is their source of income so losing matches means no winning bonuses from the team and I am sure no one would want that,” said Mubaiwa.
“You just need to know that football is a difficult sport and at times things don’t go your way and when that happens there is no need for witch-hunting but to move forward.
“The players are training well at the club, everything is fine so there is no need to panic with all sorts of stories but stay calm and remain focused.”
Mubaiwa said it was refreshing that the leading sides were now struggling to get victories.
FC Platinum have only managed three draws in their last three outings.
“For all the clubs the matches are getting difficult and usually in football when the top teams drop points, the teams which are below also drop points.
“But in the coming few matches it will really shape up.
“As Dynamos we always know from day one when fixtures are released that all the teams first look at their fixture against us. So, as a big team, all our matches are really difficult and we always try our best to come out with a win or a draw in each of the matches.
“All the teams come thoroughly prepared for us because they know that is the best time their players can get noticed so all that is really difficult for us and we have to take it within our stride when results don’t go our away.”
He said the fans should rally behind Mutasa and his men.
“People are used to always being on top but they should support our team, it will go back to scale greater heights,” said Mubaiwa.
Fixtures
Saturday: Chicken Inn v Tsholotsho (White City), ZPC Kariba v Highlanders (Nyamhunga), How Mine v Chapungu (Luveve).
Sunday: Dynamos v Harare City (Rufaro), Bulawayo City v CAPS United (Barbourfields), Border Strikers v Ngezi Platinum (Dulivhadzimu), Triangle v FC Platinum (Gibbo), Mutare v Hwange (Sakubva). The Herald
