The Sunday Mail
Langton Nyakwenda
MURAPE MURAPE is breathing fire.
The firebrand Dynamos assistant coach, who has often been accused of unnecessarily clashing with players, has launched a scathing attack on Lloyd Mutasa, bluntly accusing the former DeMbare gaffer of intoxicating players at the ailing Harare giants.
The former DeMbare captain, who won six Premier Soccer League titles as a player in a topflight career that began in 1997 and ended in 2015, also believes some former sons of Dynamos are angry that the team was not relegated in the just-ended season.
Murape (38) and head coach Lloyd “MaBlanyo” Chigove took over an ailing Dynamos from Mutasa on September 27, with a mandate to save the club from relegation.
The duo managed three wins, two draws and two losses as DeMbare escaped what would have been a monumental disaster for the country’s most successful soccer team.
“There are a lot of people who are angry that Dynamos survived relegation, some within the system and some from the previous technical team.
“They want the team to struggle so that they can come in as Messiahs,” said Murape in an interview with The Sunday Mail Sport last week.
2018 will rank as one of the worst seasons for Dynamos as they finished 11th on the log and 36 points behind champions FC Platinum.
For the first time in over a decade, and for only the second time since 1969, DeMbare failed to provide a player on the Soccer Stars Calendar.
And Murape feels the football giant can only resurrect if all the forces within the club pull in one direction.
“From the start we inherited a team with players who were aligned more to Samaita (Mutasa) than the club itself. These players felt Samaita shouldn’t have been fired.
“We have all played for Dynamos and achieved a lot with the club but we should not turn the club into something like a personalised church where we say I will follow this pastor.
“These players are still aligned to the previous coach, if you look at the trend some of the players have worked with this coach at various clubs in the past five seasons.
“The players had become accustomed to their coach, maybe they love his philosophy but we cannot do that at Dynamos,” charged Murape.
The 2007 Soccer Star of the Year, who joined Dynamos Juniors at age 12, says he is a victim of the truth, hence his documented clashes with players.
Murape was accused of being the force behind the suspension of Kingston Nkhata, Peace Makaha, Marshal Machazane and Obey Mwerahari for allegedly fanning discontent at the club.
“I am unapologetic about my belief in the truth. I won’t be diluted like Mazoe Orange Crush, I will remain Murape with my character but it’s wrong for people to assassinate my character.
“I cannot personalise Dynamos. I am a small fish in this big DeMbare pond. The only problem, maybe, is I told the players the truth. Seriously, I can’t lie to the players and tell them they are good when they are fighting relegation.
“Besides, I believe the players we worked with were intoxicated by the previous technical team to behave negatively.
“But that’s bad, we have all played and achieved a lot for this club and we should allow the team to succeed even in our absence.”
Murape also claimed Nkhata was ring-leader of the rebels.
“I will quote what Kingston said, he actually said ‘we are going to fight fire with fire, we are going to soil your names’.
“But they can soil our names or whatever they want to do but Dynamos will remain Dynamos, people come and go,” said Murape.
The Dynamos assistant coach also spoke about a WhatsApp group created by a cartel of senior players on which decisions were made.
“Some players came to us and told us about this WhatsApp group. It was on this group where it was decided which games to play (well) and which ones not to play (well).
“It was like there was now a parallel structure. There’s nothing wrong with forming a WhatsApp group but if it’s working against the club then it’s not good.”
At DeMbare’s final game against Nichrut at Ascot last weekend, players verbally attacked team manager Richard Chihoro as they demanded their dues.
“At the end of the day you find that all this is blamed on Murape, but why? I am an honest man, I love my team. All my life I have learned a lot from past Dynamos coaches like Sunday Chidzambwa, Kuda Muchemeyi and David Mandigora.
“I played with Lloyd Mutasa and he also coached me and I don’t think he had any issues with me. I played with Kalisto Pasuwa and he also coached me.
“I was a player for 21 years, I know how it feels to be a player and for me to start ill-treating players right now is uncalled for.
“I am not afraid to offend a player with positive truth. I am confrontational not because it makes me powerful but to make things straight,” thundered Murape.
