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Eddie Chikamhi

Senior Sports Reporter

DYNAMOS have said they will not make a rash decision on the fate of their coach Tonderai Ndiraya who has come under fire from a section of the club’s supporters after conceding the title race.

The Glamour Boys and their crosstown rivals CAPS United faced a rebellion from their supporters after the two Harare giants slumped to morale-sapping defeats at the weekend.

The agitated DeMbare fans were up in arms demanding the sacking of head coach Ndiraya following the 0-1 defeat to Ngezi Platinum Stars.

The defeat confirmed the inevitable after DeMbare’s faint hopes in this year’s title race suffered yet another big blow.

However, Dynamos chairman Isaiah Mupfurutsa yesterday said the management acknowledged the supporters’ frustrations but reckoned that due diligence needed to be followed, if Ndiraya’s contract with the club was to be terminated, to avoid complications.

“As management, we have procedures that we follow before hiring or firing an employee,” said Mupfurutsa.

“Of course we understand the frustrations among some of our fans. But there are decision-making procedures that need to be respected. In any organisation, you cannot just wake up and say a person is fired.

“Remember we have a contract with the coach that has conditions of work and clearly-stated deliverables. It is crucial to follow up on all that before making a big decision.”

Mupfurutsa urged calmness among the fans as the Glamour Boys look to begin preparations for their next league assignments away to Manica Diamonds at Sakubva this weekend.

“What is important now is to remain calm and allow the club to make the right decisions without too much pressure.

“Unfortunately, it’s difficult when dealing with a varied constituency like Dynamos supporters. I am not quite in the picture of exactly what motivated the events at the National Sports Stadium on Sunday but it will not be surprising that the people who were agitating for the coach’s removal could be the same who also made noise when the coach was suspended by the executive back in May with the intention of correcting some anomalies that had been noted.

“We managed to pass that phase and everything was done procedurally. As management we have the mandate to carry out some of these tough decisions but things have to be done in a proper way.

“I remember when we came into office we had a lot of lawsuits from former employees, with people claiming various sums and accounts getting garnished because things were not done properly. So if a decision is going to be made we will consider all these things,” said Mupfurutsa.

Dynamos supporters booed their team at half time and they denounced the coach in various impromptu musical compositions.

The situation was so tense that Ndiraya had to scurry for cover after a rowdy fan hurled a missile at close range at the end of the game.

“I don’t have much to say about that except that football is a game of emotions, which I also believe need to be managed from an individual level to the whole group. Of course, fans have their expectations and they react in their own different ways when those expectations are not met.

“At Dynamos, we all want results and I believe we are all putting all our efforts despite the challenges. That is why you would find out that as management we have been doing our best to give all the necessary support to the coach and to the team.

“Our sponsors have been there for us, as well. The players have been getting their salaries on time and the issue of bonuses has been resolved after we reverted to the old system of paying after every game. The bulk of the bonuses have been paid out,” said Mupfurutsa.

Dynamos are now set to go through their eighth year without winning silverware after going 11 points behind log leaders FC Platinum in the race. DeMbare dropped into third place with 50 points, following the defeat to Ngezi Platinum Stars.

“We all want to be winners and the intention every season is to collect silverware. We can only do so by learning from experiences and then correcting the mistakes.

“Of course it’s now going to be difficult but we will fight to the end of the season and then see what happens. We are a professional club. We cannot give up when we still have a mathematical chance.

“But if we cannot be number one then we have to fight for the next best position,” said Mupfurutsa.

The mayhem is not restricted to DeMbare. On Saturday, CAPS United supporters turned against their own players and then accosted coach Lloyd Chitembwe for explanations after the Harare giants were downed 1-0 by Yadah.

The CAPS United management were not available for comment yesterday. Makepekepe have endured a difficult season on and off the pitch as the club has experienced financial difficulties, which resulted in unending player strikes.

The Green Machine have been wallowing in the bottom half of the table for most of the season and they are not entirely safe from relegation with just six games remaining in the season.