The Sunday Mail
IT’S supposed to be the country’s heavyweight clash, the duel that sees an irresistible force colliding with an immovable object.
The Battle of Zimbabwe it has been termed.
However, the past years have seen the Blue Army – that one whose sheer numbers are claimed to be a static seven million – savage the Black and White warriors from Bulawayo with shocking frequency and ease.
Dynamos have had it so good against Highlanders, their chairman Kenny Mubaiwa now has a tired joke of how Bosso as well as Caps United are DeMbare’s obedient wives.
Highlanders have been beaten so well that at one time they refused to take to the National Sports Stadium for warm-up under a warped belief that DeMbare would cast their “juju” on them.
No need to remind ourselves of what happened that day.
Highlanders have perfected the habit of talking tough and fighting lame against Dynamos. They don’t know why that is the case, but they do know how much a defeat to DeMbare hurts.
It hurts bad. So bad they appear to lose all football wits afterwards.
Their decision to fire Kelvin Kaindu was mainly motivated by the team’s 1-4 TM Pick n Pay Challenge Cup defeat.
Yes there were some power-hungry Bosso sons that engineered Kaindu’s jettisoning, but there is no escaping that Kaindu’s failure to stop his team’s molestation at the hands of Dynamos cost him the job.
Quite ironic that DeMbare were at the forefront of expressing surprise at Bosso’s decision to fire the Zambian.
Kallisto Pasuwa became a voyeur, if Jose Mourinho’s football directory is to be used, as he commented on Highlanders shocking decision.
“I think they made a mistake,” said the Dynamos coach at the time.
There was probably nothing sinister in Pasuwa’s move, everyone – including Highlanders themselves – knows that firing Kaindu was a no-brainer.
Kaindu, who is linked with the seat that Pasuwa is about to vacate at DeMbare, will not be in the Bosso dugout as the two teams renew their rivalry in the Gushungo Cup at the NSS.
Mark Mathe will be.
And the gaffer, who made some questionable calls when he faced Dynamos the last time out, has been making the usual ‘‘we are not coming to Harare to make up numbers’’ noises.
One wonders who believes him after the way Highlanders have gone all pussy cat each time they face Dynamos.
This generation of Highlanders players has not only let this big team down. They have let Zimbabwean football down too.
There must be a team, or teams, capable of standing up to DeMbare in this land.
Bosso should be the leaders of that pack.
Sadly they are not.
Ndumiso Gumede, their chief executive who often talks himself into trouble, is on to something when he speaks of a new culture being needed at Bosso.
That culture can start with Highlanders putting up a fight in a match organised to celebrate President Mugabe’s victory in last year’s elections.
Mathe should demand graft from his charges, lots of graft, and not patches that will see Bosso briefly silencing the predominately DeMbare crowd before losing all sense of direction.
Skipper and goalkeeper Arial Sibanda should lead from the front, or back, and make match-defining saves while the likes of Felix Chindungwe, Charles Sibanda, Eric Mudzingwa and Innocent Mapuranga should play like the senior players that they are.
Bosso need to make Dynamos sweat for the winner’s cheque.
From the other corner Pasuwa is going through the motions as he prepares to leave, and most probably join Harare City.
After bagging the league title, again, last Sunday DeMbare are high on confidence with their coach revealing during the week that everyone is ready to put their hands on the pump.
Even injuries have mysteriously healed, said Pasuwa.
Ronald Chitiyo had a ball the last time he faced a defender in black and white.
Mudzingwa was the unfortunate victim of Chitiyo’s trickery and that duel will be an interesting one to follow.
It will also be interesting to see how DeMbare will set up for this one after Pasuwa gave rare starts to several players during last weekend’s 2-0 defeat of How Mine.
Russel Madamombe is a contender for flop of the season but the former Monomotapa man has every reason to feel hard done by if he finds his name missing from the starting XI let alone the team sheet.
Madamombe made the most of a rare start against How Mine, scoring a goal as DeMbare took advantage of a Caps United-initiated power failure at Gwanzura to snatch the league title for the fourth season on the bounce.
Milton Makopa did well in the holding midfielder’s role but with Stephen Alimenda and Devon Chafa both available Makopa will be lucky to make the bench.
DeMbare are favourites for this one.
Bosso owe themselves, and football too, a good fight. Gushungo Cup. Two dollars gets you in.
Kick-off time 3pm.
