Author: Dembare Editor

“I’m very much involved,” Ndiraya finally speaks on transfers

There has been so much talk recently about the Dynamos executive buying players without consulting coach Tonderai Ndiraya. To make matters worse, the coach himself has not spoken publicly about this issue. This had raised fears among the club fans that another poor season beckons for the Glamour Boys.

But finally, Ndiraya has come out his shell and spoken about this and other issues. These are his words:

“BEFORE I dwell on the upcoming 2020 season, it is important for the Dynamos constituency to understand where we are coming from.
Of course, I would not want to say much about the background but the honest truth is that as a team, we had a bad 2019 season. It is against that background that we then ran around a bit early and came up with a wish list as a technical team, which we submitted to the executive.

So, the process of chasing the new players we want started before the 2019 season ended. We did not finish that season the way we wanted.

If you remember, we lost the last three games, that gave us a clear picture of what we had within our ranks, in terms of personnel. That obviously expedited the recruitment process.

Of course, we were a bit reluctant because of some of the potential we had seen in the team, but those three straight defeats pushed us against the wall. We all saw the need to really beef up our team with quality players.

That is what we have done.

We submitted the list and the management has since been so busy in trying to bring those players on board.

But in doing so, we have faced so many challenges.

It’s not a secret that we are competing against well-resourced teams. I would not want to mention names, but we all know those teams.
However, we must also give credit to the Dynamos’ executive, they are trying the best they can to get the players we have now.

They are trying the best they can to bring the other recommended players. But there is so much competition for players out there.
What is important is for us to have a good team in place for next season.

Last season I spoke repeatedly about the lack of quality players at DeMbare. As a result, we finished ninth, a place where we do not belong.

So we are looking at improving, we are looking at fighting with the big boys and hopefully, we will be able to run around as a team to bring on board the players that we think will bring back the smiles on our supporters’ faces.

Yes, I am very much involved.

In fact, after submitting my list, I went on holiday and left the management running around to look for those players I had recommended.

I am very much in control of the recruitment process.
I am aware there have been questions over the calibre of DeMbare’s signings so far. We have brought on board Partson Jaure, Nkosi Mhlanga, Lenox Mutsetse and Tanaka Chidhobha.

Apart from Jaure, the rest are unheralded. We have a reason for going this route.

If you look at the history of Dynamos closely, you will see that the club is known for marketing unknown talent.

History has also taught us that prominent players normally fail at Dynamos. It is against that background that we are going down this route.

We are looking at players with good talent, players who have real potential and can be marketed by our system.

That has always been the tradition at DeMbare.

Yes we had young players at Dynamos last year, but most of that potential is not the type of potential or quality we want at the club.
We had so many good youngsters last season.

Emmanuel Jalai, Jarisson Selemani Junior, Nigel Katawa and Tinotenda Muringai, to name but a few.

These youngsters need good experience for them to really become the players we want them to be.

They can not be good players if they do not have good experience, so I did not have a problem with young players last year because I understood their need to develop and grow.

But I was against the experience we had in the team and I was never shy on that. We did not have good experience, which would have really helped our youngsters.

If you look at our performance last year, we ended up relying on young players more than the seniors. Once a system is like that, it becomes dead.

It becomes dysfunctional.

That is the reason why we took the decision to let some of our senior players go, those we thought were not giving us good value.
That’s the position.

But I did not say we were only going to sign senior players during this window.

A team becomes a good team if it has good balance. We need both youngsters and senior players. If you blend the two, you will have a nice balance.

I do not remember saying we were going to bring heralded players on board, no.

If you look at Partson Jaure, he was here before, so we also looked at these players individually to see if there is still any value in them.

We saw that Jaure is still good, he can still impart a lot of good value to these youngsters in the team.

All the senior players that we will bring in, we are making sure they can really give this system good value.

We have very promising youngsters still to come.

It’s not ending with Lenox (Mutsetse) and Tanaka (Chidhobha), we are bringing in three more youngsters, not just youngsters but youngsters with great potential.

I think those who know Tanaka know his background. They know his potential since his days at Prince Edward High School. There is some history there, we did not just pluck Chidhobha straight from school.

He was playing Division One football for the past two years with FC Platinum’s Under-19 side, so was Lenox.

They are coming from FC Platinum, they are free agents now.

I was once at Prince Edward and I really know what Chidhobha has. When he became available, I did not think twice.

He is the kind of talent we must have in our system.

I assure people that this season they will get to see the quality in these boys. Hopefully, our system will shape them and get them to a level where they should be.

There are two sides to our system though.

If you are young, it can either build or destroy you.

We have also seen quite a number of good players who have failed to play at Dynamos. We are looking at all those things because of the experience we have had with the system.

Dynamos thrives with committed average players who put in a lot of effort. When you add the support we get from our fans, those players become very successful.

If you look at the players who have played for this team and went on to play in foreign leagues, they were not really exceptional talent, they were average players.

That’s what we are doing.

That’s the reason we are bringing in these unheralded players.

I believe in what I see and I really hope that these boys will rise to the occasion and give us what we want.

But I think what is important are the preparations.

In football, the critical phases of the football cycle is the recruitment and pre-season process. That’s what we are trying to correct this year.

I understand the team had a bad pre-season last year. In fact, it was a bad recruitment exercise. I am hoping we will have a different pre-season this year, one that will set the tone for our performances this year.

We are hoping that the six to eight weeks we will have with these boys will give us a team that will seriously compete with the big boys this year.

We are likely to start pre-season on January 20, but all that is going to be determined by how soon we complete the recruitment process.
We still have a couple of new faces coming in.

We have recruited four so far, but we should see more than four players coming on board as well.

Those we are bringing in are not coming in to make numbers, we have made sure that they are better than those we have or those we are going to release.

We never made it a secret to our players, that we were going to make changes come season end. This is not coming as a surprise, they know. Those who performed well last season are going to be with us this year.

I am sure we are justified in doing so.

Let’s see what happens, but like I have said, I believe in what I do.
I want to assure our fans and management that if we bring in the players that we have recommended, we will have a good 2020.
We are yet to confirm the players we will release.

Naturally, you can not release when you do not have. We are going to get the new players then release the old ones.

We are obviously hunting for a top striker to replace Evans Katema, who has indicated that he wants to try new things.

Of course, it is a big blow, you always want to have your best players and no doubt Evans was one of our best players last year despite joining during the mid-season transfer window.

But I think it’s a chance for him to develop his career further. He is not growing any younger, so if there’s an opportunity for him to grow and make more money, why should we deny him the chance?
If a player expresses his interest to leave, there is nothing we as a team can do to hang on to him. Otherwise, he will not give his best.
We could have stopped him because he has a contract, but we would have denied him a lifetime chance.

After all, that’s what Dynamos is all about – it markets players.
Evans came in and in less than five months he is gone.
Hopefully, we can also attract good players so that they get this opportunity to be marketed. We may not be amongst the top paying teams in the country, but as the biggest team on the land, we are good at marketing players.

We just need to find Evans’ replacement soon. I know it’s going to be difficult, especially given the fact that the country is grappling with a deficiency in terms of the production of strikers, but we have to find another Evans Katema somewhere.

If we do not a get a reputable striker, we will find an unpolished diamond.”

Jaure favourite for Dembare captaincy

Returning defender Partson Jaure is odds-on favourite to be handed the Dynamos armband when the Dynamos technical team meet next week to plan for the new Premiership football season.

Veteran striker Edward Sadomba, who retired from his international career in 2018, returned home last season for a farewell dance with the local Premiership and captained the Harare giants last season.
Sadomba has since announced his departure from the field of play.
The oft-volatile Harare giants now need a new figure of influence to rally their dressing room together and help connect with the management and the supporters and Jaure is in a strong position to fill in the position.

Jaure is a Dynamos product and rose through the ranks to the senior team, though he had brief stints at lower division sides AMC and LaLiga.

Jaure commanded a regular place in the Dembare senior team for 4 seasons and won 6 trophies including 3 successive league titles. His strong perfomances attracted the interest of SA side University Of Pretoria who snapped him in 2014.

Upon his return from South Africa, Partson Jaure joined Ngezi Platinum Stars Football Club under Tonderai Ndiraya and later on crossed the Zambezi to join Zambian top-flight club Buildcon where he did not last for long after his contract was terminated on mutual agreement. He came back to Zimbabwe and signed for newly promoted PSL outfit Manica Diamonds where he played last season.
The other senior players who were understudies to Sadomba last season Jimmy Tigere, Godfrey Mukambi and Simba Chinani often found it difficult to fill in the big shoes worn in the past by the likes of Sunday Chidzambwa, Francis Shonhai, Memory Mucherahowa, Justice Majabvi, Desmond Maringwa and Murape Murape.
The appointment of Jaure is being seen as a vital step in the revolution taking place at the former champions who finished in a disappointing ninth place last season.

Katema set to leave Dembare

EVANS Katema’s gods have kept smiling on him after playing just a single season in the local Premiership as he is on the verge of signing for Zambian football giants Zanaco.

The dreadlocked 31-year-old Dynamos striker has been offered a lucrative deal and could put pen to paper if he passes his medicals set for this week.

Dynamos spokesperson Tinashe Farawo confirmed the development yesterday.

“I can confirm that Evans Katema has been invited for medicals by Zanaco FC in Zambia. As soon as he passes those medicals, he will immediately sign for that team,” said Farawo.

“We had made it a point not to sell the player to any local bidders. Virtually all teams in the country wanted him but we made it clear that he was not for sale.

“But, we cannot stand in his way when a club of Zanaco’s magnitude comes knocking on the door requiring his services. It is an opportunity for him to try and further his career in a competitive league.”

Yet, just over a year ago, Katema was playing in the less glamorous Northern Region Division One with Mushowani Stars.

He helped them grab the sole ticket into the top-flight last season where he proved to be a standout player, banging in seven goals in 15 games for the under-funded side which has since been relegated.
He couldn’t stay with the Newman Mashipe charges as Dynamos snapped him up in the mid-season transfer window.

At DeMbare, Katema scored a further five goals to help Dynamos finish in mid-table and he has of late been rumoured to be interested in joining Dynamos’ arch-rivals CAPS United.

Dembare executive imposing players on Ndiraya?

DYNAMOS could be headed for yet another disastrous season following reports the executive is imposing players on the technical team led by Tonderai Ndiraya.

The Glamour Boys had a near catastrophic term last year after the team chefs emotionally released players en masse without consulting then head coach Lloyd Chigowe.

Chigowe, who had been roped in to save the club from relegation late in the 2018 season, was left without any option but to resort to inexperienced novices including Tino Muringai, Jarrison Selemani, Emmanuel Jai, Tawanda Chisi and Nigel Katawa, who was coming straight from high school.

The move almost backfired terribly for DeMbare as they struggled for form in the early stages of the marathon as the Premiership proved too heavy a task for the greenhorns.

Naturally, Chigowe was made the sacrificial lamb and he was replaced by Ndiraya.

Ndiraya only managed to stabilise the shaky squad after bringing in some experienced players in the mid-season transfer window with the addition of Archford Gutu, Simba Nhivi, Godknows Murwira and Evans Katema.

Nevertheless, Dynamos finished a distant ninth in the league and Ndiraya had reiterated at the end of the season that he would be looking to beef up the squad ahead of the 2020 season.
The former Ngezi Platinum Stars gaffer is understood to have submitted his wish-list to the executive way back in October last year.

But the DeMbare executive has reportedly gone against the mentor’s wishes, instead signing players who Ndiraya never recommended.
The central defensive position was the team’s Achilles heel last term where Chisi, Munyaradzi Mawadza, Jimmy Tigere and Godfrey Mukambi were rotated and the Glamour Boys have since enlisted the services of former player Partson Jaure from Manica Diamonds.
Though Ndiraya is a big fan of Jaure, having previously worked with the Warriors defender at Dynamos and Ngezi Platinum, it is not clear whether he gave the player’s signing the thumbs-up.
While Ndiraya’s affinity for young blood is well documented, what he said at the end of the season pertaining the way he wants his troops to line up for the 2020 season seems to be at odds with opening the doors to more young players.

But the executive has since brought in Tanaka Chidhobha from Prince Edward Academy and another youngster Nkosi Mhlanga from Yadah.

Team manager Richard Chihoro yesterday said signing of players was done with the technical team’s blessings and there was nothing amiss inasfar as the signings done so far were concerned. Dynamos spokesperson Tinashe Farawo scoffed at suggestions the executive was acting against the coach’s will.

Ndiraya last week told the media that he was not aware of the signings being done by the team.

“We know how to act in a professional manner. Dynamos is not a rag-tag team but an institution with millions of people behind that badge. We know the ethos and essence of corporate governance and we can’t do business in such an uncivilised way. The coach gave us his wish-list long back, maybe three or four months ago and we are simply chasing after those players,” said Farawo.

“We will never try to embarrass ourselves and go against the coach’s will. He recommended certain players and they are the ones whom we are following up and taking on board. So suggestions that we are signing players whom he did not recommend are off the mark.”
Farawo also dismissed suggestions the team was going to off-load eight players including Katawa, Muringai and Mukambi, saying the coach is yet to submit the names of those he wanted released.

Mystery of the Dynamos ‘Goalline Prayer’

One of the yet-unexplained mysteries at Dynamos FC is the habit of their players kneeling along the goalline just before each of all their matches. Dynamos players have followed the act religiously over many years but noone has ever cared to explain why the act was formulated for and what really will be going on in the minds of the players when they kneel on the line. The common explanation has been that the players kneel down and pray to God for the pending match. But others, especially their rivals, have been quick to rubbish that narrative, alleging instead that Dynamos, well known for their strong beliefs in juju will be engaging in the supernatural. They support their argument by questioning why their 2 matchday goalkeepers always kneel at the 2 ends of the goalposts. They also question why their captain of the day kneels right in the middle of the line.

Opposing teams have refused to buy the prayer narrative, saying Dembare gains supernatural powers by this kneeling act on the goalline. They allege maybe that is why Dynamos reached the final of the 1998 CAF Champions League. They allege maybe that is why Dynamos have won 21 League titles since the advent of competitive football in this country.

Alois Bunjira, then a Caps Utd player in the 90s, once incensed the Dembare faithful when he sarcastically kicked a ball over the kneeling Dynamos players into goal, obviously to “weaken the ritual”. The Dynamos fans and players were angry and the match got ill-tempered to the extent of then Dembare defender Kaitano Tembo making an early vicious tackle on Bunjira, which earned him a straight red card while Bunjira was rushed to hospital. As said before, noone at Dembare has really cared to shed light on the act.
Surprisingly, coach Lloyd Mutasa, who participated in the act as a player in many years, abandoned the act when he became coach at the club in 2015, preferring his players to stand on the field while facing the East. This act was influenced by Mutasa’s religious beliefs at that time as an Apolostolic sect member.

However, Dynamos fans, who had gotten used to the old act, openly voiced their concerns before all coming matches and somehow results eluded Mutasa and he did not last the distance. Immediately after Mutasa left, Dynamos did not hesitate to revert to their old act, which stands up to this day.

It is a fact that Dynamos has been Zimbabwe’s most successful club in this country, but it will always be debatable whether that success emanates from their “goalline prayer act”. They are yet to win the league since their last triumph in 2014, yet the goalline act persists to this day. Even as the 2020 season is about to commence, the odds are that the Dembare “goalline prayer” will persist, even for years to come.

DeMbare Facts: With 21 league titles, Dynamos has more than any club in Zimbabwe

DeMbare has TWENTY-ONE League titles, making them the club with the most in Zimbabwe.

Their titles were won in the following seasons

  • 1963
  • 1965
  • 1970
  • 1976
  • 1978
  • 1980
  • 1981
  • 1982
  • 1983
  • 1985
  • 1986
  • 1989
  • 1991
  • 1994
  • 1995
  • 1997
  • 2007
  • 2011
  • 2012
  • 2013
  • 2014

Dynamos is also the ONLY club to have won the League title in FOUR consecutive seasons TWICE

  • 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983
  • 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

Highlanders is the only other club to have won the League title in FOR consecutive seasons but only did so ONCE

  • 1998/99, 2000, 2001, 2002

Mupfurutsa on team future

Mupfurutsa has said:

“We are giving our coach all the necessary support. We have sealed deals with some of the players the coach wants and we will be signing more high-profile players in the coming weeks,

Our target is to be done with signing players by mid-January so that the focus shifts to preparations. We laid a base already during our rebuilding in the past year and now we want to add more quality players to our side. While we want to compete next season, we are looking at life after 2020 so we are blending youth and experience. You are going to see a different and strong Dynamos squad in 2020.”

Dembare targets 7 new signings

THE all too familiar pledge to bring in quality players by the powers-that-be at Dynamos before the start of a new season is an old script that fans have become too accustomed to over the last couple of years.
In the aftermath of a somewhat horrible 2019 season, the club executive has once again been called to pacify its restless fans that are itching to see players of value signed by the Harare giants.
“We are not oblivious to the fact that our supporters are restless and want to know which players we are bringing to the team and the changes the coach wants to make ahead of the 2020 season,” said team manager Richard Chihoro.
That Chihoro is an employee of Dynamos, the man who manages the entire squad, and not a member of the all-powerful executive that pulls the strings where money is concerned doesn’t make him less of a target by the fans that want action and not just empty pledges.
Times have changed.
Players nowadays are chasing money and not just the glory of playing for the so called Big Three — Dynamos, Highlanders and Caps United.
Any chatter, especially on social media of one of the Big Three spending in the off season, puts the other two clubs under immense pressure.
“We have lined up a couple players, but without mentioning their names let me say its two defenders, three attacking midfielders and two strikers. The negotiations have started, the talks are moving well and after the holidays we will wrap up everything and put pen to paper,” said a member of the Dynamos executive.
The emergence of moneybags — FC Platinum, Ngezi Platinum and Chicken Inn — is not helping the Big Three flex their muscles on the local football landscape.
The few decent players on the local scene are now going where the money is and not where reputation used to be made.
Word on the streets is that DeMbare have signed Partson Jaure, a former Prince Edward student Tanaka Chidhodha as well as Nkosilathi Mhlanga of Yadah FC.
“The players you are talking about have been on our wish list for a long time now and it’s only appropriate for us to announce their arrival at Dynamos at the right time,” added the executive member.
Coach Tonderai Ndiraya has never made it a secret that the quality at his disposal in the just ended season were not championship winning player

Source: B-Metro

Mavhunga wants Dembare move

Triangle midfielder Trevor Mavhunga said his first choice team to join will be Dynamos as he said he grew up supporting Dynamos.
Mavhunga contract with Triangle is set to expire today.
The tug of war between Dynamos and CAPS United seems to have reached the twilight stage with the player reported to have opted for DeMbare.
Despite saying that he is still weighing his options, it is however reported that the player is close to securing a deal with the Harare giants.
Sources close to the player said the player’s first choice team to join is Dynamos, since he has a soft spot for the team.
“Mavhunga will join Dynamos, he is close to putting the pen to paper. They are expected to seal the deal first week of January.
“The player was a Dynamos fan from long back, it is the team he grew up supporting. He actually said he will be humbled to play for Dynamos but CAPS seems to be knocking at his door too.
“Dynamos has already won his heart,” said a source close to the player.
Meanwhile, Mavhunga dismissed the Dynamos move but did not rule it out as he said he is still weighing his options.
“I am still weighing my options. I have been approached by the two Harare giants. My first preference will be Dynamos, i love the team.
“I love Dynamos but I will take the team that comes with the best offer on the table. I am yet to sit down and evaluate the offers.
“My decision will depend on the offers, who knows maybe I might even pen a new deal with Triangle,” said Mavhunga.
Dynamos has so far pinned down veteran defender Partson Jaure.
Mavhunga said he will also be looking out for a team that will help him reach his career targets as he said his decision will not only be based about offers.
“I also want a club that will help me revamp my career. A club that will push me harder.
“I want to also do what is best for my career too here. I am expecting to do better than I did last season.
“The target is still the same, I still want to mature and attract foreign clubs,” he added.