Author: True Blue

King Nadolo Joins Dembare

Its official…….King Nadolo is now a Glamour Boy!

In arguably the biggest transfer of this transfer window, the former Highlanders and TelOne attacker has put pen to paper at the Dynamos offices this afternoon.

The 24-year old dribbling wizard was voted one of the PSL Soccer Stars Of The Year last season despite playing for modest TelOne for just 6 months.

In those 6 months he scored an impressive 11 goals to finish as the third highest scorer in the elite league.

King was voted the Footballers Union Of Zimbabwe (FUZ) Player Of The Month last November.

Nadolo returned to the local Premiership last June from South Africa where his club Witbank Spurs had failed to pay him his outstanding salaries and bonuses amounting to R37 500.

The skilful player made a name for himself playing for Highlanders mesmerising opponents with his trickery and silky skills.

He left Highlanders at the expiry of his contract at the end of 2017 joining Spurs in South Africa.

His capture is surely likely to make Dembare a force to reckon with this coming season.

The Glamour Boys have been on a massive player recruitment that has filled fans with so much optimism for the coming season.

Welcome GlamourBoy King!

Chafa, Mukamba Reunite At Ngezi

Former Dynamos players Devon Chafa and Denver Mukamba will be looking to revive their dream midfield combination at Ngezi Platinum Stars when the 2020 football season resumes in March.

Chafa completed his switch to Baobab on Monday and joins friend Mukamba who has already signed with Ngezi.

The 2 players first played together at Kiglon in 2010 before forming a deadlier combination a year later at Dynamos where they laid the foundation for the famous four-league peat.
Mukamba won 2 league titles with Dynamos and was to part with Chafa when he went to South Africa where he played for Bidvest Wits, University Of Pretoria and Jomo Cosmos before returning to join Dynamos, Caps and then Chapungu from where he would cross to Ngezi.

Chafa won 4 league titles with Dynamos before leaving to join How Mine, Caps Utd and would later cross to Zambia to play for Buildcon.

On his return he joined FC Platinum where again he won a couple of league titles before his latest move to Ngezi.

Dembare fans had been excited by the speculation that the duo were on Tonderai Ndiraya’s shopping list and they drooled over the prospect of watching the 2 linkmen in the famous blue strip again.

Somehow the deals never materialised.

Dembare Announce Ambitious Plans

DYNAMOS Football Club have announced ambitious plans to sign twinning arrangements with some of the continent’s big teams when the team leaves for South Africa for pre-season warm-up matches soon.

The Dynamos Executive led by ZimParks boss Tinashe Farawo has been on a charm offensive lately taking the team on a professional path that has warmed the hearts of fans and neutrals alike.

They have so far done most of their transfer business early in the year, signing 14 players, something that used to be alien to Dembare.

They have already taken the players to Lake Chivero for one of periodic camps for ideal orientation to the team’s principles and their general bonding.

Now the Boys In Blue are scheduled to tour South Africa where they are billed to play high-profile friendly matches with both top-flight and lower division clubs from that country.

Farawo says plans are at an advanced stage for the tour to South Africa as well as other countries within the region before the 2020 season commences.

“We are a club that should be setting examples. We are saying the way we played in 2019 was not acceptable to our brand.”

“We are following the technical team’s recommendations that is why we have signed all those players. We work together very well and as a team.”

“We are well geared for the 2020 season where we will be back at our best. We are holding several camps in the country’s resorts and next week we will continue with those bonding camps in Shamva.”

“Of course, we will tour several countries in the region including South Africa this pre-season.Plans for the team to go to South Africa for a pre-season camp where we will play practice matches against both top-flight and lower division teams in that country are advanced.”

Farawo said the Glamour Boys will sign partnership agreements with some of the region’s big teams which will see the country’s biggest and most successful team exchanging notes and personnel with those clubs.

“The idea is to make Dynamos a big entity. So we are strategising on how we will go about it.”

“There are teams in the region, including of course in South Africa, which we are talking to at the moment. We will partner some and twin with others. Football needs modern strategies and that is one of the ways to go.”

“We believe our brand is big and by partnering other big brands in the region, we will make it even bigger. Of course, we will eventually make better engagements with other teams in leagues across the globe. But we have to start within our Southern Africa region.”

Huge Duduza Banner At Hilal Match

Outgoing Dynamos striker Edward Sadomba continued to be honoured in Sudan after fans hoisted a huge picture of him in the stands during their final Champions League match against Al-Ahly at the Al-Hilal Stadium last night.

The match ended 1-all.

Al-Hilal just missed making the quarter finals by just a single point and exited the continental tourney together with FC Platinum, while Etoile Sahel and Al-Ahly made it through.

Sadomba, who lived up to his promise to return and play for Dembare one more time, spent four years in Sudan playing for Al-Hilal and banged in 98 goals in 90 appearances.

In the process, he won four league titles, three Sudan League Cups with the Sudanese giants.

He also clinched both the CAF Champions League and Confederation Cup Golden Boots during his time there.

The club recently honoured the 36-year old when they came to Zimbabwe to play FC Platinum last Saturday at Barbourfields Stadium.

They made him their guest of honour of their travelling entourage.

Yesterday, even with Sadomba 5000 km away in Harare, the Al-Hilal fans continued showing their love for Duduza by hoisting a huge picture of the striker at the famous Eastern Stand in Hilal colours.

In December last year, the outgoing Dynamos skipper was again feted like a king by the United Arab Emirates Chapter of the Al Hilal fans.

Sadomba and his wife Sherlynn travelled to the United Arab Emirates upon invitation of the UAE chapter.

Duduza was presented with a certificate and a gift voucher worth US$1 000.

The chairman of the Al Hilal fans, Monasir Gamblan, who is based in the United States, flew to Dubai to grace the occasion.

He further rewarded the former star with a trip voucher to Washington DC early next year.

Sadomba himself is humbled by the love shown all the way from Omdurman and has only kind words for Al-Hilal.

“It was a privilege to play for a big institution such as Al Hilal. I really appreciate what the club did for me and what they continually do for me. They really know how to treat players. That is how players perform well.”

“The treatment and appreciation in Sudan is so wonderful, it was difficult to walk alone without a bodyguard. The fans are so amazing. Overall, the Sudanese people are wonderful,’’ Sadomba said.

GOODBYE RASTA

Chief striker Evans Katema has reportedly joined the great trek to Zambia after signing a contract with top-flight club Zanaco.

The 31-year old Soccer Star Of The Year finalist initially travelled to Zambia at the beginning of January for trials and medicals where he impressed the Zanaco technical team.

Zanaco seem to have developed an appetite for Zimbabwean players after former Dynamos midfielder Tafadzwa “Fire” Rusike’s successful stint with the Lusaka-based side.

Rusike has since joined Zanaco’s FAZ Super League rivals ZESCO United and the former have decided to retain a Zimbabwean flair in their squad by roping in Katema.

His move is a big blow to our team where he had established himself as the chief striker last season, and we were hoping he would form a dream partnership with newboy David Temwanjira this coming season.

It has been a phenomenal rise for Katema who, just over a year ago, was playing in the less glamorous Division One for Mushowani Stars.

He banged in 15 goals for the under-funded side helping them grab the sole ticket into the top-flight at the end of the 2018 season.

In the Premiership he scored 6 goals for Mushowani, which prompted Dembare to sign him in the middle of the season.

He scored another 6 goals for Chazunguza and finished among the league’s top scorers.

His form last season earned him a place in both the local-based Warriors and the Soccer Stars’ calendar becoming one of the very few players to do so in their debut seasons in the top-flight league.

Katema’s departure is likely to trigger coach Tonderai Ndiraya into an intensive search for attackers as his other striker Tawanda Macheke has moved to Black Rhinos.

Unconfirmed reports last night were saying Ndiraya wanted Dembare to re-engage our former striker, Cameroonian striker Christian Epoupa Ntouba, whose rumoured return to the club had seemingly collapsed a few days ago.

It will be interesting who the Executive will bring in as Katema’s replacements, but for now we wish Katema all the best in foreign land.

Breath Of Fresh Air At Dembare

A breath of fresh air is prevailing at Dynamos Football Club if events of the past 2 weeks are anything to go by.

Dembare, the biggest and most successful club in local football, have somehow perfected an amateurish and chaotic way of doing things over the years.

Most of their pre-seasons have been characterised by chaotic preparations, players’ mutiny and false promises of signing-on fees.

But this year, Dembare have been uncharacteristically serene and professional since the players regrouped from the festive holidays on the 20th of January 2020.

The Dynamos executive has undertaken a massive restructuring of the team as they captured 11 of Tonderai Ndiraya’s choicest players.

The new players range from rookies like Tanaka Chidhobha and Nkosi Mhlanga, to versatile players like Tymon Mvula and David Temwanjira and veterans like Sylvester Appiah and Byron Madzokere.

Refreshingly, all the new signings , together with the old players, came out in full force on the very first day of training at Hellenic Sports Club.

Even an injured Partson Jaure was present, and watched proceedings from the terraces.Training went on well the rest of the week with focus mainly on fitness drills.

On Friday, fans and observers were surprised to learn that Dynamos players had left for Lake Chivero for a 3-day team building and bonding camp, something unheard of in previous Dembare teams.

And soon enough, pictures and videos of events at Chivero started trending on social media of players doing fitness drills, bonding games, mud-bath and hiking among other activities.

You could see the unity and togetherness among the players as they went through the Chivero camp.

The contingent returned to Harare on Sunday, and the following day it was back to serious business as the players alternated between training at Hellenics and gym sessions at a local fitness centre.

Credit to the Executive for charting a new trajectory for the Glamour Boys as we seek to end a 5-year barren spell.

Club spokesperson Tinashe Farawo has already promised that more such activities are in the pipeline for The Boys In Blue.

Sponsors Rudland & George are on record expressing delight at the stateof affairs at Chazunguza.

Fans are already looking forward to the new season which Chairman Isaiah Mupfurutsa has boldly declared their intentions to return to the top of the local game. dembare.net

ZIFA Appoint New Warriors Coaches

The Zimbabwe Football Association has appointed Zdravko Logarušić as the new Warriors coach on a substantive basis.

ZIFA have also appointed Chicken Inn coach Joey Antipas and Lloyd Chitembwe of Harare City as Assistants to the Croat.

Dynamos coach will also sit on the National Team bench as the National U23 Coach.

Forgotten former goalkeeper Pernell McKop is the new goalkeepers’ coach.

The Rise Of Dembare Newboy Tanaka Chidhobha

(As we continue taking a closer look at the new signings at Dembare, here we reproduce this article from The Standard of 4 June 2017 that featured then Prince Edward student, now Glamour Boy Tanaka Chidhobha)

PASS the ball to the number 11,” spectators would scream each time a Prince Edward High School player was in possession during the Hammer & Tongues St George’s Invitational final last week.

BY MUNYARADZI MADZOKERE

Tanaka Chidhobha (centre) poses for a photo with the Zimbabwe National Army commander Phillip Valerio Sibanda (left) and Hammer & Tongues group chief executive Brian Makwabarara (right) soon after receiving his accolade

(Tanaka Chidhobha (centre) poses for a photo with the Zimbabwe National Army commander Phillip Valerio Sibanda (left) and Hammer & Tongues group chief executive Brian Makwabarara (right) soon after receiving his accolade)

And every time the “number 11” got the ball, he would tease opponents with some astounding dribbling skills and as expected, Prince Edward came out three nil victors over St Ignatius to reclaim the coveted title.

“The number 11” scored a spectacular goal and created another to deservedly scoop the player of the tournament accolade at the fifth edition of the event.

It is no surprise that Prince Edward’s nimble-footed pacey winger Tanaka Chidhobha hails from the traditionally football-rich high-density suburb of Mbare where he began his football career before a scholarship brought him to the PE grounds.

Chidhobha, making his debut at the tournament this year, lit up the two-day event stage with some jaw-dropping dribbling skills, guiding his school to their third win in the competition after winning all their matches from the group stages through to the final.

In an interview with Sports World after the tournament, Chidhobha oozed with the confidence of a footballer who has already figured out where his talents will take him.

“I’m very happy I have been voted player of the tournament and would like to thank my coach for helping me achieve this. I knew I was going to win this award because everyone was talking about me since the tournament started,” the 17-year-old former Chiroodza Primary School student said.

The football prodigy began his career in the dusty streets of Mbare where he honed his dribbling abilities.

Chidhobha started taking football seriously when he was 11 at City Academy, a project which is no longer in existence.

Although he is currently not attached to any of the local clubs, his dream is to play in Europe one day.

“I want to achieve the best. I want to play in Europe, that is my dream. I think it’s possible because my coach always tells me that nothing is impossible,” Chidhobha said.

The lanky forward is a staunch admirer of Chelsea Football Club star Eden Hazard and he tries hard to play like him while locally he idolises CAPS United’s Ronald Chitiyo.

He says he is always trying to improve on his strength, which is to dribble.

“I know that my strength is in dribbling and I work hard in training to improve myself. Working hard in training always makes it easy for me to dribble in matches,” he said.

While Chidhobha feels that St Ignatius were not worthy finalists in the Hammer & Tongues tournament decider, he thanked the sponsor for an opportunity to showcase his skill.

“I thank the sponsors for this tournament because it’s a very good tournament. I enjoyed participating here because some of us got a chance to showcase our talent. I hope they continue sponsoring in years to come,” he said.

Born on January 6 2000, Chidhobha attended Chiroodza Primary School then attended Mbare High School for the first two years of his secondary education.

He then got a scholarship to study at Prince Edward last year. He is in Form 4.

“Most Difficult Job In Local Football”

DYNAMOS coach Tonderai Ndiraya, says the Glamour Boys are the most difficult club to coach, and play for, in local football.

Dembare have virtually overhauled their squad and brought in 11 new players with the recruitment exercise still going on.

The former champions will embark on periodic camps this off-season aimed at conditioning the large pool of their new recruits to the demands that come with playing for the Glamour Boys.

“This is Dynamos, like I have said, it is the most difficult club to play for as a player and the most difficult to coach,’’ said Ndiraya.

“Just acquiring players is not good enough, you need to prepare them, to get into the right fitness levels and make sure that they are able to handle the pressure which comes with playing for such a big brand.”

Ndiraya recommended the release of a handful of players like Godfrey Mukambi, Stephen Chimusoro, Philip Kaseke and Edgar Mhungu to freshen up his squad.

The Glamour Boys have brought in a number of new faces, including Juan Mutudza, goalkeeper Taimon Mvula, Partson Jaure, Nkosi Mhlanga and Lennox Mutsetse.

“These boys have come to a big and difficult institution where there is immense pressure, we are already working on conditioning them.”

“The boys have to put in big performances. Dynamos is about having a big heart.”

“I am satisfied, so far, with the process. We need to prepare the boys’ mentality,” said Ndiraya.

“We are going to face a difficult, yet exciting season, so we are busy preparing the boys in terms of mental strength.”

Dynamos failed to come to the party last season, finishing a disappointing ninth in the league.

“I am quite hopeful that they will be able to step up,’’ said Ndiraya.

“Last year was a very difficult season for us. Very disappointing in terms of results but, of course, I would like to also give credit to the boys who were there, those we have released and are on their way to join other clubs.”

“They did well to protect our brand, without their hard work and effort we could have been talking of something else.”

“I think this year it is about taking the brand to another level. Naturally, a team is not built over one season, you need a minimum of about three seasons to come up with a strong team.’’

Ndiraya’s charges spent the weekend at Lake Chivero in a team-building exercise.

Another conditioning camp is slated for next week at a venue yet to be known.

Ndiraya Speaks On Massive Recruitment

“We took a look at where we are coming from, our performances last season; and it is against that background that we went on a recruitment path to try to beef up our team.

We did not perform to the levels which are expected from us by the Dynamos faithful which really prompted us to take the route that we have taken. I was very clear last season that we did not have enough quality in our team last season and that cost us valuable points, we had to act this preseason.

We have brought in quite a number of players in all the departments to try and strengthen the team and give the team the new face that it needs. I think we also need to understand that we had to run around but we were a bit late in terms of invading the market.

But of course I also said it in my previous interviews that we were competing against teams with financial muscle and these teams got into the market first to do business. However, we also had some alternatives, that is where we quickly rushed to.

I am elated that apart from the alternatives in other departments of the team, we also went for the players who we thought were good enough to play for our team this year. The process has not been finished yet, we are still to bring some more players to bolster our attack, but I think what is of interest is the balance which we sought to have.

We have recruited young players  if you remember at the start of the season we recruited a few youngsters from FC Platinum’s development side and we promoted a few youngsters from our Division 2 side and I must admit that our development side managed to produce quite a number of good players and credit should go to coach Norman Taruvinga who is heading that side’s technical department.

These youngsters are definitely going to give us some options this season. Amongst the youngsters we have Tinotenda Chiunye and I think we all know what the boy can do. He was at ZPC Kariba last year and he gave a lot of teams a myriad of problems whenever he played so we felt that if he comes to join us he can quickly make a name for himself and move forward with his career.

We have retained the Aces Academy duo of  Emmanuel  Jalai and Jarisson Selemani. We saw how these boys performed last season. They exuded so much potential and can only do better this season.

Tinotenda Muringai and Kudzanai Dhemere are also among the youngsters that we have retained at Dynamos. We have also brought in experienced players like Sylvester Appiah from ZPC Kariba ,Byron Madzokere from Yadah FC, Partson Jaure from Manica Diamonds ,so it is that balance we needed to achieve as we blend the rookies with experienced players in our central defence where we think we did well last season.

We are really satisfied and believe that we will have good competition in all departments this coming season. A number of players have come in to strengthen our midfield but it is the attack that we are looking at now before we close off our recruitment exercise.

This is what we have done this year and we are happy but obviously as a coach you are never satisfied you always want more quality but these boys have come to a big and difficult institution where good results are expected always.

This team building exercise we have come for will surely set the tone and foundation for the boys to put in big performances this season. Dynamos FC is always about having a big heart and this is what we are trying to inculcate into these players”

(Coach Tonderai Ndiraya spoke to the media at Lake Chivero where Dynamos FC were taking part in a team-building/bonding exercise)