The Sunday Mail
Dynamos coach David “Yogi” Mandigora will not have time to celebrate his return to the club that gave him fame as he has to get down to serious business and grapple with a changing room which has almost a dozen players stalling on renewing contracts.
With attention inflexibly fixed on the identity of a successor to record breaking Kallisto Pasuwa, Dynamos left it rather too late to open negotiations with a number of their players and Mandigora now will have a tough time trying to convince some of the players he would have wanted to work with.
Club secretary-general Webster Chikengezha confirmed to this news crew that of the 35 players who were on their books last season, only 22 still have contracts while the other 13 have their deals expiring this month.
Their situation is further exacerbated by the fact that the lure of champions league football, which has helped them in player recruitment over the past seasons will not give them the edge this time around, having opted out of Africa’s premier club competition due to financial constraints.
The 1980 Soccer Star of the Year, who guided the champions to their second best campaign in the CAF Champions league with a semi-final appearance in 2008, was not very keen on discussing the state of the squad but advised that there will be changes.
“I can’t say exactly what will happen because we are yet to map the way forward with the technical team, but obviously there will be changes.
“Some players will surely leave and new ones will come in,” said Mandigora.
Smarting from missing out on the services of former Warriors goalkeepers’ trainer Nkululeko Dhlamini and the impending departure of Ronald Chitiyo, Mandigora might also be forced to prepare for life without soccer star finalist Themba Ndlovu, whose contract is expiring this month.
The tough tackling defence stalwart was in imperial form at the heart of the Glamour Boys defence and is now being linked with a cross town move to Harare City.
Also joining in the expiring contracts brigade is 2013 Soccer Star Tawanda Muparati, who is being linked with a sensational move to bitter rivals Highlanders or How Mine.
The champions will have to seat down and negotiate new terms with midfielders Tafadzwa Rusike, Devon Chafa, and Russell Madamombe as well as Simba Sithole and Ocean Mushure.
Utility player Thomas Magorimbo, according to Chikengezha, has told the powers that be that he is not renewing his stay and is looking for new pastures.
“The issue of players’ contracts is top of priorities for now. We have previously discussed it with the technical team and they promised to get back to us once they have done a comprehensive analysis on the 22 we have under contract.
“For now the latest is the coaches will meet Monday or Tuesday evening after their programme at the ongoing CAF A coaching licence after which they will come back to us and advice us on who needs to be signed or released,” Chikengezha said.
Dynamos need a fat purse in the market to sign quality players as corporate-backed clubs like Triangle, How Mine, FC Platinum, Harare City and ZPC Kariba have upped the stakes with some good buck offers.
