DYNAMOS legend Labani Kandi is skeptical the Harare giants will be able to turn around their fortunes on the domestic football landscape as long as they continue to embark in endless rebuilding exercises every season.
As has become the norm in the past few years, the Harare giants are this year set to reconstitute their squad again after they announced the departure of 13 players ahead of the upcoming 2023 season.
Most of the affected players were deadwood though, apart from a few that included skipper Partson Jaure, Ghanaian Stephen Appiah, Godknows Murwira and Trevor Mavhunga who decided to pursue greener pastures elsewhere.
The club also showed the exit to two foreign players Alex Orotomal and Martin Orfori who turned out big flops during the few months they spent with the club.
DeMbare, who will have a new outlook in the 2023 season under a new coach Hebert Maruwa, are expected to unveil their new signings in the coming weeks.
The huge player turnover could be a sad reflection of the haphazard recruitment policy at the Harare giants as more than 60 players have passed through the doors at Dynamos in the last two seasons of Premiership football.
In fact, Dynamos have never had a smooth crossover from one season to the other since 2016. Kandi opined his former club should revert to the key pillars of junior development that had been neglected over the years.
“I think all this is happening because there is no viable junior policy at the club. You need to have your own pool of players that you groom and these should form the core of the team in the future so that when you go to the market you are just bolstering what is already there.
“Top clubs all over the world always do that. But if you are bringing in 15 new players every season, and it happens consistently, you are not going anywhere.
“You cannot be building a new team every year and expect success. As long as there is no continuity you will struggle,” said Kandi.
In 2017, Dynamos came under heavy criticism after they went the unconventional way of holding trials to beef up their squad, which had finished fifth the previous season.
About 121 players turned up for the assessment at Motor Action Sports Club and the technical team, then led by Lloyd Mutasa, was overwhelmed by the response, but they managed to have a small short-list of players, most of whom had never played at the highest level.
DeMbare insisted then that they had to call for trials because they did not have the financial muscle to compete with the likes of FC Platinum, Chicken Inn and Ngezi Platinum Stars on the market.
They went on to finish second in the race. They also had plans for trials in 2018 but the idea was dropped at the last minute with Mutasa revealing his satisfaction with the signing of six players who included Jimmy Tigere, James Marufu, Raphael Manuvire, Marvelous Mukumba, Blessing Moyo and Panashe Mutasa.
But 2018 was going to be a difficult year as DeMbare fought relegation into the final week of the games under Mutasa. His successor Chigowe and his assistant Murape Murape ensured survival as DeMbare finished 11th. An exodus hit the club again at the end of the season.
Chigowe and Murape were tasked to rebuild again on a zero budget and they reverted to holding trials. The situation at DeMbare was so bad that Chigowe managed to retain only five players — Simba Chinani, Kudzanayi Dhemere, Godfrey Mukambi, Tawanda Macheke and Jimmy Tigere.
Over 50 players turned up for DeMbare’s first pre-season training session of 2019 at RBZ Sports Club. The results of the shambolic preparation was evident and Chigowe was crucified early into the season to pave way for Tonderai Ndiraya.
Ndiraya condemned the quality of the players he found at DeMbare from the word go. In 2020, Dynamos unveiled 15 new players but most of them left without kicking a ball due to the Covid-19 disruptions.
The squad was dismantled again in 2021 with 14 new recruits coming on board in anticipation of the return of football after the pandemic. Dynamos, who have signed a lucrative sponsorship deal with Sakunda Holdings, added seven more players in early 2021. They looked as far afield as West Africa for reinforcements when they signed Orfori, Emmanuel Paga and Nigerian Orotomal.
They also brought on board veterans Ralph Kawondera, Evans Katema, Issah Sadiki and Brendon Mpofu. But 12 months down the line, the pair of Mpofu and Sadiki are the only survivors following the latest purge.
This has become the way of doing business but the title, which they last won in 2014, has been elusive. Kandi said it was important for Dynamos to recognise the importance of grooming their own players.
“There should always be players that have been nurtured by the club from as young as 10-or-so years, who have grown in the system and fully understand the culture of the club.
“What is happening these days is that they are bringing in a collection of players from all corners of Zimbabwe and you expect these players to internalise the DeMbare culture and play the Dynamos brand of football in one season. It’s unheard of.
“Some of the guys were actually very good players where they came from but the pressure and demands at Dynamos are different; some cannot cope and they end up flopping,” said Kandi.
“All the Premiership teams must have juniors from as young as Under-10s who they teach their philosophy of the game and instil club DNA. Highlanders are doing it, at least. They have been promoting young players from Bosso’90.
“FC Platinum are also doing well and have been promoting juniors to the senior team. Back in the day in the 1970s and ‘80s juniors would feature as curtain raisers from around 10am until they reached the apex. People enjoyed watching the youngsters and that’s when future stars were noticed.
“If all the clubs could do that, our game will improve. The effects of that will go all the way to shape the national team,” said Kandi. –
