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a tie plucked straight from hell and every time that I think about what happened to us that night, the pain returns and I feel abused and humiliated.
It all seems like a nightmare and you sleep every day hoping that by the time you wake up the following morning, it would have faded away and reality will bring the relief that it never happened.
But as each day passes by it becomes very clear that we indeed lost that game 0-3 and we have crashed out of the Champions League at the very first round.
So we have to live with it, both the pain of being robbed and the reality that we are out, and we can only try and erase the bitter memories from our minds.
We have played so many Champions League games away from home and in the process have experienced many things, good and bad, but never had we come across such a horrible treatment at the hands of a match official.
In short, what we experienced in Algeria was daylight robbery and Zifa should make a strong case for us with the Confederation of African Football.
It’s time that Southern African teams, who have been affected most by these machinations that only serve to kill the spirit of football, should fight and claim our respect.
We have to uphold the values attached to such important continental tournaments run under Caf’s flagship.
Football is about competition, friendship, making contacts and should be played in the true spirit of Fair Play.
It should be played for fun and the excitement its battles bring to the fans who love this game.
It’s not supposed to be a war.
But it was difficult, watching what was happening in Algeria on Sunday, to believe this was not a war but just a game.
As Dynamos we have no problem in losing a match and we have lost scores of matches in Africa and also at home because that is the way the game goes.
But the manner in which we lost to MC Alger was not about football but something else that we don’t know as players and, which we are powerless to influence, and that’s what hurts.
It seems the referee was helping our opponents all the way and our efforts to try and win the game, or even score a goal, turned into a battle between the referee and us, rather than a fight between our opponents and us.
It felt horrible to see the destiny of a team, and a whole nation, being decided by the man who was not kicking a ball.
We have played so many away games in Africa and we knew that we had to work really hard as a team to come up with a result in a hostile environment.
Some of the players in the team were in Algeria last year when we played Entente Setif and we knew the situation with the referees when playing in a foreign country.
We had a game plan and we played well according to that plan.
The aim was not to allow them into our penalty area and we did that for most of the time.
But they were dangerous with crosses from the flanks.
We had talked about it with the younger players and reiterated that it was going to be difficult despite carrying that lead.
We had stressed that it was a matter of everyone fighting for each other and the team rather than personal and we were pretty confident that we would achieve our goals.
Our game plan was spot-on and we defended so well, while relying on counter attacks, to keep their defence busy.
But the referee somehow was too generous with them as he kept giving free kicks around our penalty box at every opportunity.
It seemed very suspicious and, if it was a ploy, it didn’t work as they could not penetrate our defence.
Most of our players were booked for the slightest challenge on the opponents and we had to play with extreme caution.
MC Alger scored their first goal from one of the free kicks, a goal which I feel was scored from a clear off-side position.
In fact there were three players who were off-side but the referee somehow allowed the goal to stand.
The second was from a penalty, which also appeared not genuine.
The MC Alger players were even taken by surprise, as were some of their fans, when the referee pointed to the spot and at the same time flashed a second yellow card to Archford Gutu.
Maybe the only goal that cannot be disputed was the third.
The referee somehow knew the exact things to do and the right time to do them to frustrate our players.
Considering that we have a practically new team with young players, most of whom had not played in such a hostile environment, we were bound to crack at some stage, hence the several bookings and the two red cards.
It was only natural that the players should get frustrated by the events that were taking place on the pitch, especially the referee’s conduct.
We had talked about it beforehand but it was just too much for the youngsters.
Although they were mentally prepared for the challenges, they couldn’t handle most of it since it appeared that it was a planned thing.
Football is a game loaded with emotions and besides, anyone is bound to be frustrated if treated unfairly.
It was disheartening.
Football should always be fair.
Dynamos have never and will never be crybabies. What we are simply demanding is justice and Fair Play.
Caf should ensure that there is a level playing field to uphold the integrity of such tournaments as the Champions League.
But it is equally important that we do not allow this setback to affect our season.
Instead we should transform our sadness to positive strength and try as much as possible to regain our battered pride.
We have to regroup and concentrate on the league championship because for the last three seasons we have been finishing as the runners up.
The league championship is the priority at Dynamos and we are aiming for it this season.
I believe we have an exciting blend of young and experienced players who can take us to where we want to go.
Our supporters should not lose heart because of what happened in Algeria because it was beyond our control.
No matter how good we were going to be on the day, it seemed the destiny was already decided.
It was like betting on a delayed game.
It was better we had not wasted our resources by going there if we had an idea this is how things were going to be.
Our club is struggling financially and it’s sad that after making those sacrifices to raise funds for the trip, then your hopes just come crashing down like that.
The Dynamos family should remain united.
We will forever keep our heads high and I urge the young players in the team to remain focused.
The strength and success of the team is very important and we should keep improving in every way.
The Algerian experience was a bitter lesson that should only toughen them for forthcoming challenges.
We are playing so well and the league title should be ours this year.
l Desmond Maringwa is the Dynamos Football Club captain and the only player, still at the club, from the group that played in the Champions League final tie against ASEC Mimosas of Cote d’Ivoire in 1998.