The Chronicle
Raymond Jaravaza, Sports Correspondent
PUSHED to the periphery of football royalty for years now, two of Zimbabwe’s biggest clubs rightly deserve to be called fading giants.
Numbers don’t lie.
Numbers reflect and display what their fans would rather keep in locked closets.
Two decades ago, who would have thought that Highlanders and Dynamos would be fighting to win a knockout tournament to stay relevant on the local scene and also try to appease their frustrated supporters?
It’s been 16 years since Bosso lifted the Premier Soccer League championship. It’s been eight years since Dynamos stood on the championship podium.
Numbers surely don’t lie.
Fast forward to 2022, the fading giants find themselves battling to appease legions of frustrated fans who are tired of seeing ‘new boys’ dominate the game.
Lack of investment in junior policy and a thirst for quick results has seen both sides struggling to post positive results.
Baltemar José de Oliveira Brito’As we speak, Dynamos coach Tonderai Ndiraya has been under pressure following a bad run but a recent purple patch has seen him staying with the Glamour Boys while Baltemar José de Oliveira Brito’s credentials are under scrutiny following Highlanders’ inconsistent performance.
Buying power over the years has also been an Achilles heel for the two clubs as they struggled to attract finance.
Bosso and DeMbare ride on success on the pitch to attract large crowds into the stadia – a vital source of revenue from gate takings.
It’s a different ball altogether for Chicken Inn and FC Platinum, the two sides that have been dominating the game for the last decade.
The game has changed and commanding millions of supporters doesn’t guarantee success any more.
Financial muscle is the name of the game now.
Backed by a big fast food outlet and a giant platinum miner, Chicken Inn and FC Platinum pulled the rug off the feet of Highlanders and Dynamos.
Money talks and the two fading giants have found out the painful way.
“It has been difficult for us to compete with financially backed teams for years because we had to rely on gate takings to survive.
“Things only changed after the arrival of Sakunda Holdings and we hope the dominance of the Chicken Inn and FC Platinum will end soon,” said Mathias Taderera, the Bulawayo Dynamos Chapter chairman.
How important is it for Dynamos to win at least the Chibuku Super Cup this year?
Taderera says words can’t express fans’ hunger for a cup in their club’s trophy cabinet.
Bosso equally want the Chibuku Super Cup and it’s no surprise their supporters are getting agitated by the day.
“Chances of winning the league are next to nothing and our consolation this season is the Chibuku Super Cup.
“We want that cup so badly, no two ways about it,” said staunch Bosso supporter Ngqabutho Ngulube.
Bosso are travelling away to the Lowveld – Gibbo Stadium for the first round encounter against Triangle United on Sunday.
Dynamos host stubborn WhaWha on Sunday at the National Sports Stadium
— @RaymondJaravaza
Article Source: The Chronicle