Can DeMbare rise again?

By Nigel Matongorere

A lot of optimism has engulfed Dynamos especially after the arrival of veteran striker Edward Sadomba as part of their squad for the 2019 Castle Lager Premiership.

The Glamour Boys had a disastrous 2018 campaign in which they spent the better part in the bottom half of the log where they were fighting against relegation.

Coach Lloyd Mutasa was sacked after just 10 matches in which the Glamour Boys had only won twice and was replaced by his assistant Biggie Zuze.

With board chairperson Bernard Marriot Lusengo wielding all the power at the club, Mutasa was back in the DeMbare dugout after four games.

Mutasa returned but results still did not improve prompting the board to act again.

With DeMbare in danger of being relegated, Mutasa was sacked with seven games to go and he was replaced by Lloyd “MaBlanyo” Chigowe on an interim basis.

Plucked from the club’s development structures, Chigowe did not breed any confidence in the DeMbare fans.

However, with Chigowe at the helm, DeMbare worked their way out of the troubled waters before finishing the season in 11th place just six points above the drop zone.

The DeMbare hierarchy was impressed by Chigowe’s short stint as interim coach before giving him the job on a permanent basis last December.

After the train smash of a season last year, Chigowe has gone about rebuilding DeMbare after a host of their players left or shown the exit door.

The Glamour Boys lost at least three quarters of their 2018 squad with only Tawanda Macheke, Marvelous Mukumba, Simba Chinani, Godfrey Mukambi, Kudzanai Dhemere and Jimmy Tigere remaining.

With the club struggling for form in 2018, defenders Peace Makaha, Marshal Machazane and Obey Mwerahari together with striker Kingston Nkhatha were all banned and later expelled.

Mwerahari has now joined Lowveld side Triangle United while Makaha is now on the books of newly-promoted Mutare-based side Manica Diamonds.

Nkhatha is still clubless while Machazane has joined cross town rivals Harare City.

Winger Cleoplas Kapupurika joined Highlanders while Denver Mukamba’s situation is still unclear as Chigowe is not prepared to work with the truant midfielder anymore.

Ocean Mushure left before the end of last season to join Lusaka Dynamos in Zambia.

Goalkeeper Tonderai Mateyaunga did not renew his contract with the club and is looking for greener pastures elsewhere.

Midfielder Gift Saunyama signed for Black Rhinos while striker Quality Kangadze was offloaded.

Defender Phakhamani Dube also dumped DeMbare while midfielder Brett Amidu signed for Chicken Inn.

Debt crisis

Chigowe does not have much room to maneuver in the transfer window due to DeMbare’s precarious financial situation.

Earlier this month, financial institution CBZ approached the High Court seeking a garnishee order on the club’s accounts due to a $250 000 debt dating back to 2012.

Former DeMbare president Keni Mubaiwa has also sued the club for close to $250 00 for the vehicles he supplied the club during his tenure.

Before moving to Zambia, former captain Mushure had also approached the courts top recover $24 000 he is owed by DeMbare.

Most of the players that left the club last season are also owed various significant amounts as part of their signing-on fees and winning bonuses.

However, what should be more worrying for DeMbare is the axe hovering over their neck regarding their former striker Christian Ntouba.

The Cameroonian approached Fifa last year after he terminated his contract with the Harare giants and wants his outstanding US$17 000.

The club has appealed against the ruling but it is very unlikely they will succeed considering how serious Fifa protects players from errant clubs.

DeMbare need to pay this amount in foreign currency which has at least tripled in value against the bond notes on the parallel market.

The Glamour Boys risk having points deducted or even relegated if they fail to pay the Cameroonian his outstanding dues. This will be a total disaster for the country’s most successful club.

Squabbles

Since time immemorial, boardroom disputes have been the order of the day at the Glamour Boys which tend to distabilise the team at times.

After Mubaiwa left as president last June, DeMbare appointed their Solomon Samanyandwe as his replacement.

But he did not last either, as he was also sacked at the start of this year leaving chairperson Isiah Mupfurutsa to run the club.

“Yes, I received a letter today informing me that the president’s post has been abolished. However, I still need to make some consultations with the board because I cannot recognise the signature on this document,” Samanyandwe said.

“I don’t know who signed it and that means the whole thing is null and void until I get confirmation from Marriot himself and the other board members.

“Many things have been happening behind the scenes and I know where all this is coming from.”

Player recruitment

With everything that is happening behind the scenes, Chigowe has not had the luxury of bringing in the all his transfer targets.

DeMbare have resorted to conducting trials where they are hoping to identify a number of free agents that have been offloaded by other clubs.

Surely this is not an ideal situation for a club of dynamos’ stature to have to scrounge for players when other teams have been actively signing players on the market.

so far the club has confirmed Sadomba’s arrival while they are looking at former Triangle United defender Rodwell Mhlanga, former Bulawayo City goalkeeper Munyaradzi Diya.

The Glamour Boys have already concluded the signing of Congolese player Ngandu Mangala while the coaches are still assessing former TP Mazembe defender Petit Diamo Onedika Katako. DailyNews