HARARE - It has been a turbulent week at Dynamos after the players refused to train for the entire week in the run up to this afternoon’s Chibuku Super Cup clash with Black Rhinos.
The Glamour Boys failed to hold a single training session with players demanding the club pay them their outstanding signing-on fees and bonuses.
This afternoon, DeMbare will just turn up at Gwanzura Stadium like a social football club and coach Calisto Pasuwa will have to select his team a few hours before kick-off.
In an effort to get to the bottom of the shenanigans at the famous Harare club, the Daily News on Sunday caught up with Dynamos chairman Kenny Mubaiwa.
The Harare businessman has been at the helm of the club’s executive since 2011 and he feels that there is third force behind the current industrial action by the players.
“There are people who want to politicise everything and want to sway players and tell them different things that are misleading. A lot of people want to be part of Dynamos. But that is not right. We have to work together,” said Mubaiwa.
“We have tried but getting little results. We are not sleeping looking for money knocking on people’s doors and trying to convince them to put money in Dynamos but everyone is crying that ‘look at the economy, our hands are tied’.
“We used to rely on gate takings but 45 percent of that money goes to pay for the match day expenses and that has been a problem for us this season.
“We are getting some support from BancABC but that money is not enough and we need other companies to come in and help us.
“If we go to South Africa just next door their club get a lot of support from the corporate companies and it the same even in Europe. Our local companies should follow what BancABC is doing.”
Although Mubaiwa is a reputable businessman, who has made his fortune in the auction business, DeMbare has been saddle by issues regarding funding since he took over from Farai Munetsi three years ago.
He says he has no plans of throwing in the towel despite all the challenges he has faced in the years he has been in charge at the Glamour Boys.
“Dynamos has been my team since childhood. I do not want to leave the club in the mud. I want to leave the club at a better place,” said Mubaiwa.
“One day we will smile because this is just a phase. It will end. They say there is always light at end of the tunnel.”
On Friday, the striking Dynamos players wrote a petition to the club bosses with a number of grievances they want addressed.
“We have received that list and it’s from there that we are going to address their concerns. We do not have all the money to meet their demands but we are working out payment plans and we are determined to clear all monies that are outstanding,” said Mubaiwa.