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to find a Sunshine City still trapped in the grand celebrations that started the very moment Guthrie Zhokinyi converted from the spot and sent Dynamos on their way to an impressive 4-1 win over MC Alger on Sunday.
Three days after Lloyd Mutasa and his men gave their followers a taste of champagne football, with a victory that was as stylish as it was comprehensive, Harare was still buzzing with the beauty of the sights and sounds from a day when Rufaro turned into a Theatre of Dreams.
The blue-and-white flags that had been paraded on Super Sunday with an air of triumph, and a mark of both respect and belief in a football club that has seemingly perfected the art of doing well on the continent, had long disappeared from the kombis.
Rufaro, lifeless and empty, looked like a forgotten shell crying out for a touch of life in sharp contrast to the party that had been sparked by a vintage show by Mutasa’s Men on a Super Sunday where they blended both style and substance to produce a product that overwhelmed the Algerians.
But there was no escaping the buzz and it was clear that the Glamour Boys, whatever they had done on Super Sunday, had found a way back into the hearts and soul of those who always believed that there was something special to this football club.
Now and again you were reminded that you had missed something special, something that might not happen again, something that had to be seen unfolding live to be believed, something that could not retain the same quality when being seen in recorded mode.
Something that had made big men cry, with tears of joy, and small boys finally get a reason why their fathers always told them, again and again, even without the benefit of living examples of success to buttress that position, that the Glamour Boys were special lot.
Something that made old men talk about that period, that golden era, that bygone time when Dynamos were the Boys in Blue, Haina Ngozi, Chazunguza, when teams like Shooting Stars of Nigeria could be hit for five and when the little boys from Swaziland could be hit for eight.
Something that reminded them of that era when this club could go to play a first leg away from home, in the old Cup of Club Champions, and destroy the opponents so much that they would simply pull out of the return fixture in Harare because there was basically no reason to fulfil that part.
Something that reminded them of Archieford Chimutanda, of Kenneth Jere, of Biggie Zuze, of Hamid Dhana, of Edward Katsvere, of Kembo Chunga, of Gift M’pariwa, of Clayton Munemo, of Memory Mucherahowa and, boy oh boy, of Moses Chunga.
It was like the ‘80s being replayed.
It was a throwback to that golden period when Dynamos were so special they turned themselves into the glamour club of the country, winning the domestic championship seven times in 10 seasons in ‘80, ‘81, ‘82, ‘83, ‘85, ‘86 and ‘89 and so divorced from the morass of mediocrity that we have seen since the turn of the millennium where they have won one league championship in a dozen years.
For once, in a very long time, the Dynamos fans were discussing about style, rather than just a result squeezed from a dull performance, about glamour rather than a win squeezed out of a disjointed show where their success had more to do with their opponents’ shortcomings than their brilliance and about beauty rather than just a result that had been smuggled out of an ugly performance.
This time there were no match officials to give them a helping hand, as had happened in some of their games of late, and – even as they won a penalty to find their appetite for goals again, those who saw it, including some from the Green Machine – believed it was genuine.
Refreshingly, the Glamour Boys were not the only ones who were getting a penalty on Sunday, even their opponents were also getting a spot-kick.
It was Wednesday, three days after the match made in heaven, and the Dynamos fans, and a lot of neutrals, were still talking about the sights and sounds of Rufaro that Sunday.
Denver Mukamba had shown glimpses of his brilliance while playing for the Warriors at the CHAN finals in Sudan but, from what I saw in a recorded version of that match, he took his game a notch higher on Sunday with a performance that was full value for his emerging profile as a genuine star.
The way he took his goal, the way he fooled the Algerians with all the tricks in his bag, the way he did not allow the big occasion to drain away his natural skills, the way he responded to the challenge of playing a starring role, the way he played with a heart, all added up to make his performance special.
And, crucially, this wasn’t a one-man show.
Its heartbeat might have been youthful but it was clear that skipper Desmond Maringwa was not only playing a big part but even revelling in the energy brought by those bubbling comrades operating around him and the Senator was so effective, on the day, he must have shaved a good six years from his age.
Lloyd Mutasa used to play football that thrilled the fans, whether it was his cheeky body swerve, his cool touch, his sublime movement with the ball, his hunger to always control the game, and let it be played at his rhythm, he would even direct his teammates when to run into space, where to go for the pass etc.
He was simply good and I remember at the turn of the ‘90s when he came home, as in coming back to Chitungwiza where he had grown up as a kid and honed his skills playing for amateur team KTS, in the colours of Tanganda for a league game against Darryn T at Chibuku.
The stadium was full, as early as midday, and it was clear the majority of the fans had come to see Mutasa.
Samaita was awesome that day, playing on a difficult rugged surface that was hostile to his style, but somehow he managed to get the control right all the time, he managed to get the move right all the time, he managed to beat the opponent all the time and, after a good day at the office, with Chibuku in full voice, he laid the final pass to Webster Kurwaisimba to do the finishing duties.
After the game Mutasa was mobbed by the fans, in scenes that I haven’t seen being repeated at a football stadium here in Zimbabwe, and I still remember vividly an old man, probably 60 plus at that time, who – even as he was being crushed in the stampede created by the human wave torched by the excitement to mob Mutasa – kept yelling “Lodza iwe, Lodza iwe, Lodza iwe.”
Of course, the sound kept fading as more people joined in the human wave, either drowned by the cheering voices of the delirious Mutasa fans or by the impact of the crush, and I have battled with my conscience since then that I wasn’t human enough to go back and check whether he lived to tell his story.
But that was how Mutasa touched the lives of those who believed in him and his skills and, as he continues to try and shape his coaching career along the lines of the way that he used to play the game, it’s refreshing to note that he has the courage to try and impose his style at a big team that had, until now, started to believe there was value in mediocrity.
Without a doubt, there will be tougher tests for Mutasa and all that he is trying to put into shape but there is no questioning his vision and, if everything will be as beautiful as Sunday, it’s hard not to be seduced by what they are trying to do at the Glamour Boys.
Archieford Gutu And The No-Show
So Archieford Gutu didn’t play on Sunday and, crucially, did not take his place alongside the cast of youthful talent that was showcased on that day because of a dispute between his management firm and the club that wanted his services.
Now that Dynamos won 4-1, it’s hard to suggest that Gutu would have done so much as to create a value, in the product on display on Super Sunday, to inspire a better winning margin.
With Maringwa playing effectively, in the role that Archie would probably have filled, it’s difficult to support an argument that says Dynamos missed Gutu.
But then, finding comfort in the fact that Gutu wasn’t missed, simply because everything went according to plan on Sunday, would be fatal because one game doesn’t make a season and, sooner or later, Dynamos were going to find out that they needed the young man.
Whether Archie is better than Denver is debatable right now but, to the Dynamos fans, it’s a convenient luxury to have two of the best young players around in your squad.
I believe Archie has his own special qualities, which he brings to the team, and that he didn’t play on Sunday was not only unfortunate but very disturbing.
His manager Calvin Nyazema has taken a lot of criticism, including a volley that came from Dynamos chairman Farai Munetsi through a public newspaper, for the way he handled the Archie case and why he made that brave decision to pull his player out of the squad.
Personally, I believe Nyazema was very right to stop his player from that game on the simple basis that Dynamos did not have a contract with Archie and, as such, they had no obligation to take care of him in the event that he was injured that day or how much he should have received in terms of his earnings.
For a team with a bad record of neglecting, even those who were under contract when they fell victims to injuries, Dynamos haven’t created conditions for them to be given a benefit of doubt by those who want to work with them but, as I can see, are right to remain suspicious. You earn respect by doing certain things right and, as Dynamos have done in the past, you neglect injured players – including those who met their cruel fate in the line of duty for the club – it doesn’t send the right signals to those who will deal with you in the future.
Munetsi might find that he probably did very little wrong, if he wants the benefit of doubt, but he is also burdened by his team’s pathetic history of ill-treatment of its players when things go terribly wrong and, as fate takes their toll, their value to the club becomes negligible.
Samson Choruwa was one of them and we all believed that he would be the next big star but, when injuries curtailed a promising career, Dynamos were not there on his side when he needed them most.
Frustrated and neglected, Choruwa’s talent wasted away somewhere in Glen Norah or thereabout and his genius was lost to a game that badly needed him.
Francis Madziva’s case touched the hearts of many people.
A promising leftback, he was injured when the Dynamos team bus was involved in an accident on their way home in the line of duty.
As we all know, it marked the beginning of the end of his relationship with the Glamour Boys as he battled a painful, and demoralising, personal battle to try and get back on the field until he realised that he was fighting a losing battle and called it quits.
But the irony to me was presented by the fact that it was Maringwa who probably played the role that Archie was supposed to play for Dynamos on Sunday.
Desmond would probably have been one of the best players to emerge from this country if his career had not been ravaged by injury at a time when he was now taking his game to new heights.
That he never made the transition, from a teenage star into the superstar that his talent promised, was also a direct result of the lack of support that came from Dynamos when Gazza badly needed specialist treatment, to repair some of the damages, and bring him back.
It was an ugly period for Dynamos, pregnant with in-house fights and a big turnover of administrators, but still that shouldn’t provide the Glamour Boys with an alibi for the way they neglected a man who promised so much for the team at that time.
Gerald Maguranyanga, who dedicated hours and a big effort to try and get Gazza right, has always told me, again and again, that the story would have turned differently if Maringwa had been given specialist treatment, at that early stage of his injury, and the team had been there for him.
To his credit Gazza refused to be buried by the nightmare of the injury and soldiered on and that is why, even up to this day, he can produce a stunning individual performance for his club.
But his soul carries a sad story, his compromised movement carries the burden of a sad tale, and if Gazza had a contract with Dynamos, and still received that cold treatment, then what are the chances of an outsider who just came into the DeMbare ranks last year?
Gazza was born in the Dynamos family, grew up there, honed his skills there and is as good a symbol of a DeMbare family as they will ever come.
But, for all that, he still got a raw deal and Nyazema was right to read the signs to realise that his client, Archieford Gutu, was about to swim with the sharks by playing in the game on Sunday.
Yes, we can question the timing of his move and everything but the fundamental point remains that, after all had been said and done, Nyazema was right to protect the interests of his player and, by doing so, protect his interests, too.
For Dynamos to try and find justification that Archie had to take the gamble, simply because others were also taking the gamble, was wrong.
Archie is Archie.
Dynamos have a promising project right now and it’s a delicate period for the club because, with what I know of the Glamour Boys, it’s when things are looking good – just like when Gazza was coming up, just like when Choruwa was coming up – when something wrong happens.
The Glamour Boys have to play their cards right and that means they have to enter into contracts with their players, they need to agree on certain issues related to their welfare, they need to agree on certain issue related to cover in the event something goes wrong, you know, everything about professionalism.
Of all teams, Dynamos should be leading by example because their sheer size gives them a leadership role in the domestic league which they should use wisely.
This is the last team that should be using ghost players, especially in the Champions League, and no matter how pretty you want to describe Archie’s status, in the week leading to that Champions League game against MC Alger, you will get to the same conclusion that he was a ghost player.
We all don’t expect Munetsi to wake up tomorrow with millions of dollars to sort out the challenges that are facing Dynamos because we all know that will simply not happen.
But we expect him to do something, because he is the leader, and finding refugee in a flawed system where the majority of players are still playing, even though their issues are yet to be sorted out, can win you an argument when you get a good result like was the case on Sunday.
When everything goes wrong, which is possible, it comes at a cost.
Dynamos are not the only team having problems with agents. Manchester United found out, not so long ago, that even Wayne Rooney wanted certain assurances or he would go.
We all know what happened after that, don’t we?
Dynamos can do without Archieford Gutu, as they showed on Sunday, BUT Calvin Nyazema can’t do without Archieford Gutu.
To Dynamos, Archie is just another player, very good of course, but who can be replaced when push comes to shove or when injuries strike.
To Nyazema, Archie is everything that he has worked for in his agency – from the old days when very few people knew Gutu and he still needed food on the table for his family left to take care of itself at a young following the death of their parents.
Calvin was there for Archie when he needed school fees, when he needed reason to believe that the loss of both his parents didn’t mean the end of the world, when he needed the boots to go and train, at a time when noone noticed, and long before he became the Archieford Gutu that we know today.
For that he deserves his say in his man , a little bit of respect and, for Sunday’s game, the risk wasn’t worth the gamble.
Yes, he took a lot of flak but it comes with the terrain and that’s the price one pays for standing for his principles and Calvin was a shining example, at the weekend, of how a manager should act.
I have listened to the other argument about the game being a national cause and affording Archie a chance to showcase his talent on a grand scale, which is all fine, but when you follow that line of thought you will find that it is premised on everything, which started well, ending well. That line of argument doesn’t embrace the risk factor and, therein, lies its fatal flaw.
Calvin Nyazema Was Wrong – Langton Nyakwenda
Contrary to the popular belief that it is Dynamos, or Farai Munetsi in particular, to blame in this saga, I differ and put the blame squarely on this agent called Nyazema.
My opinion is supported by the following points/facts.
l Nyazema claims he gave Dynamos ample time to fix a contract and speaks as if he is new to the Zimbabwean soccer scene when, in fact, he knows Dynamos have been involved for years in shambolic transfer sagas – Cuthbert Malajila, Farai Vimisayi, Edmore Mufema quickly come to mind. So he should have known whom he was dealing with beforehand when he entered into negotiations with Dynamos.
l The agent speaks so fluently that had Gutu been injured who was going to compensate the star player. I would like to believe that Gutu was at worse risk when he played those unfashionable friendlies involving Blue Ribbon at Sakubva or Pfupajena than playing against a professional side like MC Algier at Rufaro’s internationally-accepted artificial turf.
l He denied the youngster a great chance to showcase his immense talent at the grand stage. Actually it would have been wiser and reasonable for Nyazema if he had refused to give Dynamos for low-key friendly and cup games and only released him for such big games. It makes business sense because those are matches where a player can market himself and earn lucrative contracts. He may argue that it was the best moment to arm-twist DeMbare in their hour of need but in the end who lost on Sunday? It was MC Algiers Gutu and Nyazema.
l Nyazema should realise that DeMbare are only a springboard or a platform which one can use to reach greater heights using their training facilities, their coach, the media coverage that follows them and the seven million supporters are an incentive enough for someone whose ultimate goal is to use the club to market himself.
l Langton Nyakwenda is a journalist based in Harare.
A Letter From Nicholas Rgwambiwa
Sunday, the 20th of March, was indeed a perfect sunny day with very moderate temperatures not exceeding 27 degrees Celsius. It couldn’t have been any better, as we eagerly awaited a clash of our beloved Dynamos and MC Alger of Algeria.
Not any one of us would have predicted such a beautiful display of the world’s most beautiful game in our Theatre of Dreams (Rufaro) and by around 1230 hrs the ground was showing signs that there would a capacity crowd. Let me at this juncture confess that I feel privileged to have been among the 30 000 plus loyal fans that paid their way into the stadium to witness an excellent display of football by the Glamour Boys that reminded me of the soccer-rich days of yesteryear.
What shocked many of us on this particular Sunday afternoon was the conspicuous absence of the little magician, Archieford Gutu, our answer to Lionel Messi, especially considering that head coach Lloyd ‘Samaita’ Mutasa had earlier declared a clean bill of health in his team.
Soon, word started doing the rounds that the young man’s manager, Calvin Nyazema, had stopped the talisman from featuring in that game because of DeMbare’s perennial failure to settle players’ signing-on fees. Let me make it categorically clear that I do not condone the perennial failure by Dynamos to fulfil its financial obligations, but the decision to pull Archie out of the squad was not only ill-advised but also lacked vision.
Just imagine that, as the likes of Denver (Mukamba) and Tawanda (Muparati), were displaying their skills against the more fancied North Africans, Nyazema was busy displaying his sheer arrogance, greedy disloyalty to the national cause. This decision was obviously not in the player’s interest, for this was a perfect platform for the young man to shine in Africa’s most prestigious club competition, under the watchful eyes of the entire world.
I may be sounding tough, but a few facts must be taken into consideration here.
l Gutu was and is still not the only player owed signing-on fees by Dynamos.
l There must have been a good reason for Gutu to choose to play for DeMbare at a time when those players that thought they were ‘stars’ were busy deserting the club for ‘greener pastures.’
l Nyazema always knew that an important fixture for both Dynamos and Gutu himself was coming, and had the audacity to lie low in ambush as if preparing for guerrilla warfare.
I could have gone on and on with an analysis of this man who calls himself manager but let me not waste my time and your time. For interest’s sake where are his management skills? It certainly doesn’t require a rocket scientist to know and implement such basics like planning, communication, career guidance, you name it.
Nyazema should feel honoured to be managing Gutu, who obviously is destined for greater heights in his soccer career, but his faults are too dangerous for the player’s future. After all, his name is virtually unknown in football circles.
That is why ‘Bambo’ Moses Chunga has always called for serious footballers to manage the most beautiful game, not pretenders.The game on Sunday came and we all saw what happened.
DeMbare didn’t feel any loss, as usual anyway. I personally felt sorry for Gutu, but he is not a kid anymore. He should wake up and smell the coffee. That manager, whether he is a relative, close friend or whatever, is not worth managing the young man. There are better managers out there and I will not mention names.
Last, but non least, hats off to the entire Dynamos crew that did us proud on Sunday, especially MadziDaddy ‘Lodza’, Captain Gazza, Denver, Diva Dollar (Kutyauripo), Muparati and the man Vimisayi. You reminded us of the days of Moses ‘Bambo’ Chunga, Tauya ‘Doctor’ Mrewa, Vitalis ‘Digital’ Takawira, and many more legends that made DeMbare the brand it is today. The sky is the limit guys.
A Letter from Rabat
By Stephen Chifunyise
I am an ardent reader of the Sharuko on Saturday blog. On Sunday, 20th March, I went through “Tales From Mumbai,” which is such a thorough analysis, while at Rabat Airport in Morocco waiting for a visa to enter that country for a UNESCO meeting of cultural experts on cultural governance.
The last time I spoke to Robson Sharuko about Zimbabwean football was a decade or so ago, on a plane from the 1998 Nations Cup finals held in Burkina Faso.
Although I was in Burkina Faso on a theatre assignment, I found time to interface with journalists who covered the championships, especially those from Burkina Faso who were convinced that Burkina Faso would emerge as a nation of victorious footballers just as it had emerged as a home of African cinema.
The urge to respond to Robson Sharuko’s “Tales from Mumbai” firmed when I saw young Moroccans playing football on grassless grounds on both sides of the main road from the airport to downtown Rabat. It was gratifying to witness the active nurseries of Moroccan football in action on a very hot afternoon.
Being in Rabat and reading Robson Sharuko’s masterpiece on the state, and status of sport in Zimbabwe in general and the beautiful game of football in particular, I was intrigued by the fact that, in fact, he was asking many questions but, particularly, the question: “What is the national sports policy of Zimbabwe and what national strategies arose from that policy?”
When I was the Permanent Secretary for Education, Sport and Culture, from 1994 to 2000, I served under two Ministers, the late Witness Mangwende and Gabriel Machinga. Both men strongly believed that it was not only the appointment of competent members of the board Sport and Recreation Commission that could transform the Sports and Recreation Commission into a tool for growing a viable sports sector in Zimbabwe that was essential but that it was also the general attitudes of Zimbabweans towards sport and physical education that needed drastic transformation.
Both ministers left the portfolio of minister responsible for sport before anything in this regard had happened and it seems not much change has taken place.
By the time Machinga relinquished his ministerial post, the Public Service Commission’s efforts to abolish the Department of Sports and Culture had become an effective action towards the reduction of the ministry’s budget by removing the sports and culture functions.
As Permanent Secretary, I was aware of several “monsters” which made the ambitions of the two ministers responsible for sport remain unfulfilled.
The first “monster” was the Sports and Recreation Commission, which behaved like a parallel ministry to that of the Ministry of Education Sports and Culture. The Commission’s directors saw the Permanent Secretary and the ministers as people with no sporting background worthy talking about or recognising.
By 2000 the Department of Sports and Recreation, under the leadership of Charles Dzimba, was seen as an unnecessary duplication to the Sport and Recreation Commission and its efforts towards the production of a comprehensive national sport policy regarded as a desire to control a body created by parliament to be responsible for the development and governance of sport.
The second “monster” was Zifa which saw both the Ministry for Sport and the Sport and Recreation Commission as structures that were always tempted to interfere with its bond with Fifa. It was always interesting to note that any policy initiative or recommended action on the re-organisation of Zifa and its operations were considered as Government interference which Fifa would not tolerate.
What became even more critical was the appointment of the late Vice-President, Simon Muzenda, as the patron of Zifa. This brought on board another feature of authority that was often misused by the association as a support base for its actions which were carried out without consulting the Minister or the Permanent Secretary for Sport.
It was clear that no authority would produce a sports policy that would touch football without touching the sacred Zifa and Fifa cows. If these two sacred cows were not ready to graze, taking them to field with rich green grass was useless.
The third “monster” were the National Association of Primary Heads (NAPH), the National Association of Secondary Heads (NASH) and the National Association of Associated Schools. The organisations did not see the Ministry of Education, Sport and Culture as a relevant factor and key stakeholder in issues to do with physical education and sports in primary and secondary schools.
The fourth “monster” were the local authorities who did not want to hear of a national sports policy that would deal with aspects to do with the use of sports facilities under their authority. Such a policy was considered as interference by central government, especially if such policy was not initiated by the ministry responsible for local government.
The idea of football teams such as Dynamos, CAPS United and Highlanders becoming companies listed on the ZimbabweStock Exchange is not new.
The late Witness Mangwende constantly talked of this idea as the most practical way of raising financial resources to enable these teams to build their own stadiums and to pay their players adequately and professionally.
Unfortunately the leadership of these clubs did not have time to listen to such advice and to any suggestions for growing viable football teams. They did not see any light towards professional football and wanted everything to remain as community football teams, managed forever by founding players and history.
As far as these leaders were concerned, nobody and nothing would move them out of that community football stance inspite of aspiring to meet the requirements of modern football.
What Robson Sharuko asks in his “Tales from Mumbai” are not difficult questions because they can all be answered by a comprehensive national sports policy and change of an attitude of the nation of Zimbabwe to one that appreciate the value of sport and the right of one to participate in sport.
As far as I am concerned, if nothing is found to tame the “monsters” I have indicated above, there is no chance in Zimbabwe of growing a viable sport sector that breeds champions.
l Stephen Chifunyise is a former Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture.
Let The Games Begin
So the Castle Lager Premiership gets underway today with Zimbabwe Saints, also known as Chauya Chikwata, making a grand comeback with a date against CAPS United at Rufaro this afternoon.
With all the good vibes coming from the Dynamos camp, it’s clear CAPS United are under pressure to make an immediate impression.
Good luck to all the teams playing this weekend and good luck to the Warriors in Bamako.
Come on United! Waiona?
Chicharito!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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