The cost of madness

Makomborero Mutimukulu Acting Sports Editor
THE secretary-general has decided to quit, the sponsor is worried and the skipper is suspended and stressed.
The disgraced prince is being subjected to verbal abuse by irate fans while the rest of the troops are bewildered by the chaos as they head for a tricky tie away to Triangle. As for the chairman, well, the team is crumbling right under his nose.

This is the story of Dynamos and the cost of madness!

Secretary-general Webster Chike-ngezha has decided to quit the club amid growing concern, from his family and business associates, that the constant upheavals at the club are bludgeoning his profile.

We can exclusively reveal that Chikengezha decided on calling it a day last week as the turmoil at DeMbare reached an all-time low with an ugly training ground brawl between skipper Murape Murape and striker Rodreck Mutuma.

Murape and Mutuma’s bust-up was triggered by misunderstandings over winning bonuses the players are owed.

As the pair was being suspended, Chikengezha was telling close associates that he will be walking away from the not so glamorous Glamour Boys at the end of the season.

The Dynamos secretary-general’s decision comes at a time when his relationship with club chairman Kenny Mubaiwa is reported to have irretrievably broken down. The club’s sponsors BancABC have been keeping a close eye on proceedings as they seek to guard their brand against being dragged through the gutter.

“The bank has not been briefed on the matter and do not expect to. However, since all this is happening at a club where they pay salaries of between US$500 and US$1 000 to each player on the 20th of very month, there is understandably some concern on their part,” disclosed one official.

For Murape, the chaos at Dynamos is taking its toll on his small frame with the skipper yesterday disclosing that he is stressed. The Dynamos workhorse was at Harare Sports Club yesterday to watch the Northern Rugby League clash between the hosts and Old Georgians as he sought to “refresh”.

“I am stressed, I don’t want to talk to people. It’s a difficult moment and would love to be alone as a lot is going on in my head,” said Murape whose suspension has not gone done well with most Dynamos players.

As Murape soul searches, ahead of a hearing scheduled for September 4, Mutuma has apologised for his barbaric antics. The striker, who was subjected to verbal abuse as DeMbare were held to a 1-all draw by Hwange at Rufaro on Thursday, revealed that he has written a letter of apology to the club.

“I was out of line and have written a letter of apology to the club,” he said.

“The past few weeks have been challenging, first it was the red card against Black Rhinos and now the fight with my captain. I erred big time and appreciate the anger coming from the fans . . . I just hope that the club will forgive me as well as Murape so that we can serve Dynamos because that’s what we all love doing.

“Murape is my elder and I have also apologised to him.”

Club chairman Kenny Mubaiwa appears at sixes and sevens on how to handle the DeMbare fiasco. Reports of his clash with some players have not helped matters at all.

As the drama unfolds, coach Kallisto Pasuwa is understood to be unhappy with the way the Dynamos executive rushed into suspending Murape and Mutuma.

The three-time championship-winning coach was away, attending a coaching course at the Zifa Village, when the Dynamos camp turned into a war zone.

Pasuwa is reported to be inclined towards “asking the executive to let the technical team deal with the boys because this incident took place at the training ground.”

Team manager Richard Chihoro said assistant coach Philimon Mutyakureva will brief his boss today, ahead of the match away to Triangle, before the technical team comes up with a position on the matter.

“The coach was away so a position will only be made once we have briefed him and deliberated on the matter,” said Chihoro.

DeMbare board chairman Bernard “Magitare” Marriot added that they have since asked Mubaiwa to furnish them with a report on the chaos rocking the champions.

“The executive will give us a report of what’s happening after they come back from Chiredzi . . . we will sit down and study that report before we act,” he said.

Meanwhile, against such a chaotic backdrop, Dynamos make the trip to Gibbo boosted by the return of goalkeeper Artwell Mukandi, who missed the midweek draw with Hwange.

Mukandi was attending a funeral as DeMbare were held to a 1-all stalemate, Farai Vimisayi’s late strike cancelling out Tafadzwa Rusike’s debut goal.

With Mutuma suspended, the revitalised Simba Sithole will lead DeMbare’s hunt for goals against an unpredictable Triangle outfit.

Triangle coach Biggie Zuze, a Dynamos son, is not reading much into the turbulence at DeMbare and reckons the champions are never affected by off-field events.

“We have to be very wary of Dynamos, I have more respect for them when they have in-house problems because they have a tendency of performing well during these times,” he said.

Fixtures

Buffaloes v Black Rhinos (Sakubva), Triangle United v Dynamos (Gibbo), Hwange v Chiredzi (Colliery) Caps United v Chapungu (Rufaro) FC Platinum v Highlanders (Mandava)