Mushure, Dauda cross Zambezi

By Tadious Manyepo

Warriors defenders Ocean Mushure and Dennis Dauda have become the latest Zimbabwean players to join the Zambian league after penning two-year deals with that country’s soccer giants Lusaka Dynamos.

Both players had strained ties with their respective teams in the past term with Dauda often dropped at CAPS United while Mushure joined the deviant-club by constantly going AWOL at Dynamos.

The pair is currently part of the Lusaka Dynamos squad on tour of South Africa in preparation for the Zambian league which is scheduled to kick-off by mid-next month.

Zambia have sought to align their season with the international leagues which run between August and May.

And as part of the transition from their traditional March-November term, they decided to hold a stop-gap January to May period.

The Zimbabwean duo will be part of the phase having already committed themselves for the next two years with the club.

Mushure expressed satisfaction after signing for the Zambian league early this week.

“I can confirm that I signed a two-year contract with Lusaka Dynamos having been cleared by Dynamos some few weeks ago,” said Mushure.

“It’s a new challenge, a new environment and I am enjoying it. I would like to give my all for the team to attain its objectives.

“It’s always a challenge to find yourself in a new team, a new set-up but that’s the nature of football across the world. Footballers are always on the move and this is just another step which I have taken in my career.”

His compatriot Dauda said it’s not a very difficult environment he and Mushure find themselves in as the Zambian league and the local Premiership are more or less the same.

“Just like Mushure, I also signed a two-year contract. We are having fun together with Mushure and we hope to do exactly what the team signed us to do,” said Dauda.

“The environment is very easy to be in. I have moved a lot and this is just about it. I have Ocean to talk to whilst the rest of the squad have also welcomed us.”

The addition of Mushure and Dauda in the Zambian league means there will be five Zimbabweans playing in that country’s top-flight. Zanaco’s Tafadzwa Rusike, BuildCon’s Tatenda Mukuruva and Jimmy Dzingai already play in the Zambian league.

Nkobizitha Masuku, Devon Chafa and Partson Jaure were, until mid-this year, Mukuruva’s teammates before they were offloaded.

But it is the manner in which Mushure and Dauda left their clubs before joining the Lusaka giants that has led to serious questions on whether they will be able to at least see off their contracts being asked.

Dauda actually had a heated argument with CAPS United coach Lloyd Chitembwe with two games still to be played before the end of the 2018 season after coming late for training and was reportedly told to stop reporting for duty till next season.

Before that, the talented but temperamental 2014 Soccer Star of the Year often disagreed with his mentor, resulting in him losing out on the starting position in the team.

Dauda spent the better part of the second half of the season on the sidelines with Chitembwe rotating Stephen Makatuka, Godwin Goriati, Carlton Mudzabwa, Justice Jangano and Method Mwanjali.

Ironically, that was around the same time the rock-solid defender was negotiating for a contract with Lusaka Dynamos.

Just like the former ZPC Kariba and Yadah man, Mushure didn’t feature in many games as was expected for Dynamos but instead made all the headlines for the wrong reasons.

After playing a leading role for a virtually new-look DeMbare in the 2017 season which he capped by winning the Soccer Star of the Year second runner-up accolade, Mushure’s presence was supposed to come in handy for the faltering giants whose survival was always at risk throughout the season as they were without a Messiah.

Having won the team’s Most Loyal Player for the year 2017, Mushure came out of his shell in 2018 and gave his former paymasters a torrid time as he demanded the $21 000 the club owe him in unpaid salaries, signing on fee and bonuses.

The fullback-cum-midfielder refused to train on several occasions in the 2018 season in protest of the unpaid dues.

As a result, the former Monomotapa left-back was stripped of his captaincy which was handed to Marshal Machazane.

Meanwhile, Highlanders have moved to tie down the quintet of Mbongeni Ndlovu, Vincent Moyo, Charlton Siamalonga, Brian Jaravaza and Godfrey Makaruse. The Herald