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Petros Kausiyo Deputy Sports Editor
ZIMBABWE soccer kings Dynamos continue to get international recognition for their exploits with the Confederation of African Football choosing the Harare giants to be among an elite group of teams that will attend the continental body’s club licensing and professionalism conference in South Africa.
Dynamos will at the end of this month join 36 other top teams that have been chosen by Caf to pioneer the new club licensing policy and draw a road map which the rest of the African sides would then have follow in their pursuit of professionalism.

DeMbare, who just four years ago were rated the sixth best club on the continent, will be Zimbabwe’s sole representatives at the indaba set for Cape Town from January 30-31 and will be staged alongside the African Nations Championship, which will burst into life in the Mother City tomorrow and will run until February 1. According to the Caf programme for the conference, Dynamos chairman Kenny Mubaiwa would be one of club presidents who will make presentations on selected topics during the indaba.

Caf also indicated that the 37 club bosses would be invited to exchange views on the best way to effectively institute club licences and to take into consideration every national context.

“Through the seminar Caf wishes to set up a stronger relationship with big African clubs to serve as pioneers for the rest in Africa.
“This seminar will also allow everyone to exchange points of view and come out with recommendations so that all the federations would adhere to the programme,’’ Caf said. Caf president Issa Hayatou is expected to deliver a speech as well as host a dinner for the club bosses while the other speakers and moderators include the continental body’s secretary-general Hicham El Amrani, Orlando Pirates and South African Premiership chairman Irvin Khoza, Cosafa president Suketu Patel, Football Association of Zambia president Kalusha Bwalya and representatives of broadcasting company Sport five.

Among the key issues to be discussed is that of marketing of competitions and sponsorships for clubs, TV rights, broadcasting and production of matches in Africa, how to nurture and develop young players within a club and how to develop professionally an African club from a managerial financial perspective.

An elated Mubaiwa said yesterday that the Harare giants considered the invitation as a “humbling honour from Caf which they would need to build on as a club”.

Mubaiwa also reckoned that Dynamos would be inspired by attending the conference and sharing experiences with such top African clubs like continental champions Al Ahly of Egypt, Club World Cup losing finalists Raja Casablanca of Morocco, the South African pair of Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs and regular campaigners Al Hilal (Sudan), ASEC Mimosas (Cote d’Ivoire) and TP Mazembe (DRC) and the Tunisian pair of Esperance and Etoile du Sahel that are professionally run.

Despite turning 50 last year and being a dominant force in the domestic game, Dynamos have failed to turn into a professional and viable entity and are still hamstrung by financial problems and Mubaiwa was optimistic that the Harare giants will use the conference to also establish business links with fellow top continental sides.

“We are extremely pleased to get such kind of recognition from Caf. It is very encouraging and I am sure with this kind of recognition we can only be inspired to continue to work hard as a club.

“It also means we have to stay disciplined on and off the field and it is a chance to interact with other clubs away from an environment of competition and I think we have set ourselves standards to that we need to keep improving on in order to keep abreast with the top clubs,’’ Mubaiwa said.

The Dynamos chairman also bemoaned their failure to hold a function to celebrate their Golden Jubilee despite promises at the start of last year of a grand occasion to mark the club’s 50th birthday.

“It is unfortunate we could not hold our 50th anniversary celebrations last year but we are still running around to hold a belated Golden Jubilee celebrations because to us it is still a very important event in the history of the club,’’ Mubaiwa said.

“All this recognition is a result of the hard work done by those before us and the current leadership and we are working very hard to assemble a team which we think will be strong enough to compete for honours in the Champions League because it is what you achieve at home and in such tournaments that wins you the respect of Caf and Fifa,’’ Mubaiwa said.

Below is a list of clubs invited to participate in the seminar for the club licensing and professionalism of football in Africa:
1.Al-Ahly Egypt North Zone (8)
2.Zamalek Egypt
3.Raja Casablanca Morocco
4.Wydad de Casablanca Morocco
5.Espérance Tunis  Tunisia
6.Etoile Sportive du Sahel Tunisia
7.JS Kabylie Algeria
8.ES Sétif Algeria
9.Tout Puissant Mazembe
DR Congo Central Zone (7)
10.AS Vita Club DR Congo
11.Coton Sport Garoua Cameroon
12.Canon de Yaoundé Cameroon
13.US Bitam Gabon
14.Léopards de Dolisie Congo
15. Diables Noirs Congo
16. Horoya AC Conakry Guinea
West Zone A (6)
17. AS Kaloum Guinea
18. Stade Malien Mali
19.Djoliba Mali
20.Diambars Senegal
21.Diaraf Senegal
22.ASEC Abidjan Cote d’Ivoire
West Zone B (7)
23.Africa Sports Cote d’Ivoire
24.ASFA Yennenga Burkina Faso
25.Asante Kotoko Ghana
26.Hearts of Oak Ghana
27.Enyimba Nigeria
28.Kano Pillars Nigeria
29.Gor Mahia Kenya Center East Zone (4)
30.Al-Merreikh Sudan
31.Al Hilal Sudan
32.Saint George Ethiopia
33.Orlando Pirates South Africa
South Zone (5)
34 Kaizer Chiefs South Africa
35.Dynamos Zimbabwe
36.Primeiro de Agosto Angola
37.Zesco UnitedZambia