The Sunday Mail
Langton Nyakwenda
Sports Reporter
ONLY four clubs from Southern Africa have reached the final of Africa’s premier football inter-club competition – the Champions League – 56 years after this prestigious tournament was inaugurated.
Nkana Red Devils of Zambia, who lost 3-5 on penalties against JS Kabylie of Algeria in 1990, were the first Southern African club to reach the final of the then Africa Cup of Champions Clubs, which ran from 1964 to 1996.
Zimbabwe football colossus, Dynamos, also hold a special record as they were the first club from Southern Africa to reach the final when the tournament assumed its new name and became known as the CAF Champions League.
Dembare’s fine class of 1998 were also left with the tag of nearly men after they lost 2-4 on aggregate against Cote d’Ivoire’s ASEC Mimosas in 1998 – a year after the tournament’s name was changed.
Perennial campaigners, Orlando Pirates of South Africa, who won the Africa Cup of Champions Clubs title in 1995, and Mamelodi Sundowns, who won the CAF Champions League after beating Zamalek in 2016, are the only teams in the COSAFA region to have reached the final.
Dynamos came close to reaching their second final in 2008, but David Mandigora’s men fell to Coton Sport de Garoua in the semi-finals.
But for some former DeMbare stars, that epic final – classic case of a blood-and-thunder battle – remains the epitome of their careers, 22 years after a historic campaign that began with a 4-2 aggregate win over Telecom Wanderers of Malawi in the first round.
Makwinji Soma-Phiri, who scored one of Dynamos’ two goals in the final, remains the only Zimbabwean to score in a Champions League final.
Long after he hung up his boots, Soma-Phiri still talks about that beautiful second-half header whose significance was lost in the magnitude of the result.
Ghanaian journeyman George Owusu scored the second goal for Dynamos, who were under the guidance of history-making gaffer, Sunday “Mhofu” Chidzambwa.
“It has been a while man, but of course who can forget that incredible campaign. I scored a beautiful header, but we were already 0-4 down, so probably the importance of that goal was lost,” Soma-Phiri said.
DeMbare went into the return leg on the back of a 0-0 draw in Harare and faced a hostile reception in Abidjan.
“The atmosphere out there was not conducive. Remember, we played the game under duress because our skipper Memo (Mucherahowa) had been attacked before the match.
“But that goal was one of the best in my career; one of the best headers of my career. I had this ability to head in those crosses and I guess it was all about timing,” said Soma-Phiri, who was famous for his headers during his days at both Dynamos and Highlanders.
Gift “Umbro” Muzadzi, who replaced an injured Ernest Chirambadare in goal after only 30 minutes in the second leg in Abidjan, paid tribute to “DeMbare’s gallant sons” as he reminisced over the final.
Now 45, Muzadzi is the current goalkeepers’ coach at Dynamos and he strongly feels that their 1998 squad is incomparable.
“That was a team of beasts; those boys were tough…aive mabhinya,” Muzadzi told The Sunday Mail Sport.
After the first leg ended 0-0 in front of 45 000 fans at the National Sports in Harare on November 28, all was set for an epic return leg in Abidjan on December 12.
Dynamos missed their influential captain Mucherahowa, who was head-butted during warm-up, and ended up losing 2-4 at a packed Stade Felix Houphouet-Boigny.
DeMbare were 0-3 down after 43 minutes and had also lost first-choice keeper Chirambadare, who clashed with ASEC Mimosa’s Youssouff Camara in the 30th minute when the latter scored the hosts’ opening goal.
ASEC had added a fourth in the 52nd minute before Soma-Phiri and Owusu replied in the 60th and 81st minutes, respectively.
“The atmosphere was hostile but I was not fazed at all. I knew it would not be an easy task replacing Dhara (Chirambadare), but at the end of the day I had to do my best for the club,” said Muzadzi.
“You won’t believe it but ASEC Mimosas had a well-planned off-the-field strategy for us. Their fans came to where we were booked and they were singing throughout the night.
“That disturbed our focus and what was worse is that the security personnel did not even do anything. They seemed like they were also part of the plan.
“But I would like to pay special tribute to that group of Dynamos players. We had this never-say-die spirit. Even up to now I am sure the ASEC guys know that if they didn’t resort to dirty tricks we would have taken that title,” Muzadzi said.
Ernest Masango, Chamunoda Musanhu, Masimba Dinyero, Lloyd Mutasa, Kalisto Pasuwa, Tonderai Mutambikwa, Vint Fulawo and a youthful Desmond Maringwa were also part of that historic DeMbare squad.
Dinyero, who joined Dynamos from Blackpool in 1996, attributed that success to unity within a dressing room that was ably led by the legendary skipper Mucherahowa.
“We were a committed group; pity today’s footballers are not as dedicated.
“Those Dynamos players were great. We had great enthusiasm and more importantly, unity was the motto.
“We would remind each other the importance of playing for Dynamos and what it meant for the millions of our supporters across the world as well as those who would have paid their hard-earned cash to watch us.
“It was serious business; we played with all our hearts,” said the 1989 Soccer Star of the Year.
Mucherahowa wrote a lot about this squad in his book “Soul of Seven Million Dreams”, while Chidzambwa, with the benefit of hindsight, feels Dynamos could have won that final had “we done things differently”.
“We were too nice. In African football you have to be more aggressive, you do not have to be too nice. You have to be rough and tough. There were a lot of dirty tricks at play but back then were not yet initiated.
“We also lost Memory, and you know Memory was a very special player, without him it was difficult. But we also missed two golden chances early in the first. Had we scored, everything would have changed,” Chidzambwa said.
