DEMBARE BOSS CALLS FOR UNITY (file pic) HOUSE ON FIRE . . . Isaiah Mupfurutsa has been trying to douse the flames engulfing the Dynamos ship this week

Eddie Chikamhi Senior Sports Reporter
DYNAMOS executive chairman Isaiah Mupfurutsa has urged the Glamour Boys family to pull in one direction fallowing disturbances that saw four players getting suspended this week over disciplinary issues.

There is growing tension in the Harare soccer giants’ camp following the decision by the leadership to suspend four key players — Marshal Machazane, Kingston Nkhata, Peace Makaha and Obey Mwerahari — in a move that has not gone down well with most of the club’s supporters.

The quartet has been accused of inciting mutiny among the players and were identified as the ring leaders in the plot to boycott camp ahead of the Chibuku Super Cup 1-2 defeat to Triangle at the weekend.

The DeMbare executive have stood their ground in their efforts to instil discipline and professionalism in the club, which has been fighting for survival for most of the 2018 campaign.

The suspended players are expected to appear before a disciplinary hearing in the next two weeks. Mupfurutsa said the club should not lose vision of their need to survive relegation as they need one more win from the last three outings to be sure of survival.

“In soccer you can have good times and bad times and this year we were going through bad times. I am sure our supporters understand this. To the Dynamos family, I would like to say let us run together in this last lap.

“We have three games remaining and our hope is that we are going to collect all the points and move up the ladder, probably finish in the top eight.

“At the same time we are saying we are very sorry to our supporters for the poor performances throughout this whole year and we are very sorry for the loss to Triangle which took us out of the Chibuku Super Cup.

“We were also pinning our hopes on pushing and probably lifting that cup and enjoy the rewards and the prestige that comes with winning that cup.

“Yes, we are not yet completely safe, mathematical the next team likely to be relegated after the three that have gone already, also has an outside chance of surviving if the other teams stumble.

“But I can say for now we have high hopes and we feel that we are quite comfortable. Given the spirit and the self-belief that is now in the team, we have got high chances of collecting more points. I think we have confidence in the current technical team and in the energy that we are now seeing in our players,” said Mupfurutsa.

Dynamos are scheduled to face Triangle again this Sunday at Rufaro as they resume their battle for survival. The Glamour Boys were completely outplayed by Taurayi Mangwiro’s men in last week’s cup match.

Interim coach Lloyd Chigowe is bracing for a tough encounter. DeMbare were handed a heavy 0-3 defeat in the reverse fixture at Gibbo earlier this year with Chigowe as caretaker coach after then head coach Lloyd Mutasa had gone out of the country on national team duties.

The suspended players are likely to miss the rest of the season. They have since been told to stop attending training or coming into contact with the team.

DeMbare are almost safe from relegation after going seven points clear of the drop zone with three games remaining. The club is now hoping to survive the chop this year and then start rebuilding next year.

“Next year we hope to do better. We have to go back to the drawing board and do proper planning so that we start on a good note and also fight to the end and be the champions again. I think Dynamos should be in a position to take the championship next year.

“We cannot go for more years again without winning it. It has been four years now and without realising it will be 10 years, and we are saying we don’t want that. This is what we are trying to work towards achieving,” said Mupfurutsa.

“Whilst we were focusing on how we can survive for this season we are also looking at the next season, meaning that now, just like any other serious club, it means business.

“We are already working on plans for next season. Just like any other team, we also have players whose contracts are set to expire at the end of the season and all those things need to be sorted out.

“A contract is between two parties and what it means now it will also depend on whether those players are still willing to be with Dynamos or that Dynamos is still willing to work with those players. So engagements have to start right now.

“There is also need for us to be beefing up the team because you could see that here and there we were getting depleted easily. If we have two or three injuries, you will find that the technical team is actually struggling to come up with a good 18-member squad.

“We also need to get more good players to come in. We are not saying what we have are bad but teams everywhere are always beefing up.

“We are trying to look for more talent and new players with different abilities because when a team is competing you can actually see some areas of weakness. Our coaches will recommend and we will work towards getting those players,” said Mupfurutsa.

DeMbare cheerleader Chris “Romario” Musekiwa also urged for unity.

“Currently we are sitting in a delicate position on the log standings. So this is definitely not the time to see quarrels. Unity is needed more than ever and it is our hope that these guys will be able to find one another and we move on as a club,” said Musekiwa.

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