Denver Mukamba faces DeMbare axe

By Godknows Matarutse 

Dynamos coach Lloyd Mutasa has lost patience with midfielder Denver Mukamba over gross indiscipline and the midfielder could be shown the exit door.

Mukamba was a surprise exclusion from the Glamour Boys’ squad for Sunday’s Harare derby which ended in a 0-1 defeat at the hands of rivals CAPS United at Rufaro Stadium.

The former Bidvest Wits midfielder was heavily involved in preparations in the build-up to the blockbuster clash last week but was not even on the bench on Sunday.

The Daily News understands that Mutasa and his coaching staff were involved in a heated argument with Mukamba at training on Friday which left the coach with no option but to axe the midfielder from the match day squad.

According to our sources, all hell broke loose during the training session when Mutasa asked the squad to increase their intensity during a workout.

While the rest of the players seemed to heed the coach’s instruction, Mukamba, on the other hand, seemingly put in half the effort.

At that point Mutasa and his assistants instructed the midfielder to raise his effort but were hit back with a salvo of insults.

This did not go down well with the coaches as Mukamba had raised his voice and used vulgar language in front of the rest of the players.

Dynamos were also without suspended forward Christian Ntouba, midfielder Tichaona Chipunza and defender Lincoln Zvasiya for Sunday’s game which meant they were heavily depleted after Mukamba’s indiscretion.

As a result, they put in a lukewarm display to suffer their first defeat in eight games and dented their title challenge.  

Although he refused to comment on the training ground bust-up with the midfielder, Mutasa admitted that “some things need to be sorted out in-house first”.

“There are some things that we cannot discuss; it has to remain in-house,” Mutasa told the Daily News.

“As a club, we need to be careful on what we give you because some of the things might destabilise our institution and we don’t want that kind of thing to happen.

“Each house has its own challenges and problems and we prefer to deal with it internally.”

Mukamba, 24, has seen his career stagnate ever since he was off-loaded by Wits last year.

Last season, the midfielder was part of a cabal of DeMbare players accused of abusing drugs and alcohol.

As a result, Mutasa axed the likes of Sydney Linyama, Roderick Mutuma, Jacob Muzokomba and Stephen Alimenda at the end of the 2016 season due to disciplinary issues but Mukamba was spared.

However, the 2012 Soccer Star of the Year seems to have resumed his wayward behaviour and this time the club must be forced to act.

Even his form on the pitch has dropped significantly with Ntouba, Cleopas Kapupurika and captain Ocean Mushure driving DeMbare’s title charge.

Meanwhile, following Sunday’s defeat, the Glamour Boys have turned their attention to Thursday’s re-arranged match against Chapungu at Ascot Stadium.

The match was abandoned on June 18 with DeMbare leading 4-0 after a goalpost at the match venue had collapsed.

The league later ruled that the match should be resumed from the 56th minute when it was stopped with the scores at 4-0 in favour of DeMbare.

“We are not under any pressure whatsoever. You look at the number of matches that we played and we still have one game in hand. Teams that are on top of us are only two points ahead of us so we cannot cry much,” Mutasa said.

“Obviously, it’s not nice losing a derby or any other match. It was a disappointing result — that happens in football — but we have to bounce back and I’m sure we will do that. It’s part and parcel of the game but what’s important is how you react from the setback.”

If Dynamos maintain their lead, they will go top of the table with 52 points from 25 matches.

Mutasa feels they just need to win their remaining matches without worrying about what happens elsewhere which will guarantee them the title.

“The title is still in our hands. If we win our games, I am sure we will be in a better position come end of season. We have to get over it. We have a game on Thursday so it’s important we focus on that now,” he said. Daily News