HARARE - The shock transfer of star midfielder Masimba Mambare from bitter rivals Highlanders to Dynamos has sparked passionate debate in the Zimbabwean football fraternity, with a leading Bulawayo-based daily paper going to the extent of labelling the player a “traitor” in a screaming headline.
Bosso Live, the club’s official Facebook fan page, went a step further and placed Mambare on pole position on a list of world football’s worst traitors, even ahead of Luis Figo, who moved between famous Spanish rivals Barcelona and Real Madrid, and Robin Van Persie, who quit Arsenal for English Premiership foes Manchester United.
According to Bosso Live, the top 10 of the worst traitors in football history is as follows, in that order: Masimba Mambare (Highlanders to Dynamos), Luis Figo (Barcelona to Real Madrid), Sol Campbell (Tottenham to Arsenal), Ashley Cole (Arsenal to Chelsea), Mario Gotze (Dortmund to Bayern Munich), Sami Nasr (Arsenal to Manchester City), Luis Enrique (Real Madrid to Barcelona), Carlos Tevez (Manchester United to Manchester City), Robin Van Persie (Arsenal to Manchester United), Ronaldo (Barcelona to Real Madrid ) (AC Milan to Inter Milan ) (Corinthians to Flamingo ).
27-year-old Mambare joined Bosso’s bitter rivals Dynamos on Monday on a three-year deal, ending a two-year stay at the a club that gave him fame after joining from Motor Action in 2011.
The reaction to Mambare’s move on social networks ushered the latest chapter of enmity between Highlanders and Dynamos, which has characterised the rivalry between the country’s two biggest football intuitions.
Comments accompanying Bosso Live’s post were largely passionate and abusive, most of them unprintable in a family newspaper.
Players from outside Bulawayo have previously complained of being targeted for persecution by the club’s fans when things have not being going the team’s way on the pitch.
Late last season when he went through a lean spell, Mambare was constantly booed by the club’s fans, prompting the former Motor Action man to take his frustration to Facebook, threatening to quit the club if the abuse did not stop.
Kwekwe-born Mambare later withdrew his remarks, but being out of contract, a move away from Bosso was always on the cards until the offensive midfielder took advantage of the Warriors camp ahead of the forthcoming Chan finals to conclude a deal with the record Zimbabwean champions.
While there have not been major direct transfers from Dynamos to Highlanders over the years, such players as Makwinji Soma-Phiri, Lovemore Ncube and Lenny Gwata have previously made moves from Bulawayo to join Dynamos.
“This is the same guy who almost scooped the Soccer Star of the Year award playing in Bosso colours, this is the very same guy who after being booed by the club's fans went on to produce a brilliant performance in the latest Mbada Diamonds Cup Final, and today he is now a traitor,” commented regular football blogger Raymond Tembo on Facebook.
Chronicle editor, Mduduzi Mathuthu, whose paper branded Mambare a traitor, yesterday stood by the publication’s story.
“We labelled him a traitor because on the 28th of November after rumours surfaced that he wanted to live, he went on his Facebook and assured Highlanders fans that he will be staying,” Mathuthu told the Daily News yesterday.
“He went on further to confirm that he will be staying with Highlanders in an interview he gave to us during that period. Even the Highlanders chairperson was shocked that he had signed for Dynamos because he assured him that he will sign a new contract once he returned from the Chan tournament.
“Obviously ‘traitor’ is the word on most Highlanders fans’ lips because when you give a gentleman’s agreement, most people expect you to honour it.”