eBusiness Weekly
Chipo Sabeta
Former Dynamos player and coach Moses Chunga thinks a vibrant junior policy at the club will save the Harare giants from its current spectacular demise.
Boasting of 21-league championship medals, a Confederation of African Football (CAF) Champions League silver medal and numerous domestic triumphs in knock-out tournaments Dynamos FC they find themselves in the heat of a relegation battle.
Zimbabwe’s biggest football club, which has been reduced to a punching bag throughout this season and slumping to a 1-0 loss in the hands of Harare City last week at home, are now sitting 5th place from the bottom, two points away from relegation.
But who is to blame for their catastrophic fall?
Football experts have pinpointed many culprits as to the “DeMbare disaster”, including its chairman Bernard Marriott and board, the executives, players among other individuals.
Chunga admitted that all the various mistakes made over the last decade can be solved if Premier League clubs, including Dynamos look for a new generation of talented youngsters that will take the domestic Premiership by storm.
“People have made mistakes, made poor decisions, trusted the wrong people, and led the club astray and that’s why DeMbare are on the brink of relegation.
“However, the main problem has to do with the key resources — the players. We are in a system whereby coaches envy experienced players ahead of young ones. This idea of buying players will not take them anywhere as new players do not know the culture of the club. New players will use the club as a stepping stone.
“Unfortunately, coaches are driven by results and they do not care about player development and nurturing juniors. This, in general, has affected all top flight teams. How do we expect to have experienced players in league when we shun teenagers?” he asked.
The mockery of ordinary players at Dynamos have not saved the situation. Inconsistent within the team in recent seasons has not helped the Harare giants.
The return of former Zimbabwe striker Kingston Nkhatha’s for Dynamos has failed to bring the spark.
Expectations had been high that the 32-year-old, who was released by Absa Premiership side SuperSport United some months ago, would provide the much-needed striking force upfront. The Dynamos frontline has managed a mere 20 goals in 26 matches.
Another ABSA Premiership reject Blessing Moyo was welcomed at Dynamos, while Kuda Kumwala and Jimmy Tigere were deemed excess baggage by Harare City have ended up at Dynamos.
Players like Godfrey Mukambi who was deemed excess baggage by his previous club is now a regular starter at Dynamos.
Ngezi Platinum offloaded James Marufu and he joined Dynamos. Cleopas Kapupuruka and Bret Amidu could not command first team jersey at FC Platinum and they were loaned to Dynamos.
In the past years, Dynamos turned to foreign imports like Ugandan Boban Ziruntusa, Cameroonian Christian Epoupa and Congolese Fabrice Mbimba but they failed to spark.
DeMbare ended up with debts trying to pay the foreigners.
Whether it is the lack of football expertise at boardroom level, trusting the wrong people, Chunga, however, was not interested in the blame game.
He is confident that junior policy will save DeMbare from its doldrums.
While others mourn over talent in Zimbabwe, Chunga argues that the talented youngsters are turned away as clubs narrow their focus on who might have a faint chance of making a career in professional football and becoming a valuable financial asset.
“Thousands of players pass through the high school system every year and play in the Copa Coca-Cola tournaments. Their dreams of a professional career are shattered as clubs are not doing enough to look after them.
“The really talented ones go for trials but coaches turn them away. I can easily identify a number of them but doors were shut when they went for trials. And these are the same clubs mourning over the under-performance of big players who in turn disappoint them. What is it that an 18-year-old player can’t do? In Europe, player like Sterling, Rashford and Mbappe burst onto the scene as teenagers,” he said.
Samson Choruwa was the torch bearer of the last “kidznet” project at Dynamos in the early 2000s under the guidance of club legend Chunga.
In 2009, Chunga won the league with Gunners FC, in 2009 with yet another crop of youngsters.
Chunga’s bias for young talent is well documented and he is concerned by the way young talent is doubted in the local league.
“A viable junior policy and a junior is easy to run. It may also be cheaper than paying and signing big players with each passing season. Young players have a future while an experienced player will only last a season or two. Naturally, they will have the DNA of the club in them and it’s easy for them to fight for their club.
Clubs like (FC Platinum) have a well-functioning junior policy that starts from secondary school at Guinea Fowl up from U16 to the Under-19s, who are in the Central Region Division One League, a system that can be emulated by fellow Premiership teams.
They have shown commitment to the development of football from the grassroots and have mobilised resources specifically to achieve that with the rise of their youngsters like Raphael Muduwiva, Nigel Papius, Cleopas Kapupurika, and Livingstone Genti.
The club has retained half of their team include twins, Elvis and Kevin Moyo, Rodwell Chinyengetere, Petros Mhari and Winston Mhango.
Players like Francis Tizai has been with the club since Premiership promotion in 2012. Daniel Vheremu who joined FC Platinum as a player is now in coaching structure of coaching, thereby maintaining the club’s culture and consistency.
