Ray Bande Senior Reporter
ICONIC former Warriors and Dynamos midfield magician Moses Chunga believes his former club DeMbare lacks the mental fortitude to make a lasting challenge for the 2018 Castle Lager Premiership title, Post Sport has learnt.
Arguably the country’s most successful football club, DeMbare retained the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League championship in 2014 after dismissing the now defunct How Mine 2-0 as strong title contenders ZPC Kariba were beaten 3-2 by CAPS United on the final day of that season. Dynamos had won the coveted cup the previous year.
This time around, Dynamos launched yet another attempt to land the league with a pathetic show that saw Lloyd Mutasa’s men succumbing to a slender 0-1 defeat at the hands of Chicken Inn at Luveve Stadium in Bulawayo.
A culture of winning and fear of betraying the so called seven million supporters that has always psyched up Dynamos to win league titles since the club’s formation in 1963, usually gives fans great expectations of their team but Chunga thinks the feat is beyond the reach of the club’s Class of 2018.
While some pundits might think it is too early in the season to judge, the well travelled Dynamos legend proffers that the current crop of players at Dynamos coupled with administrative shortcomings would stand in their way to earn the 23rd league title.
“First and foremost, Lloyd (Mutasa) is in Zambia as we speak with the national team. I do not think this is a healthy situation for the club. We have seen problems with the set up when club coaches double as national team coaches.
“In most cases it is the club that suffers and issues to do with sabotage within the technical department start to emanate since some members of the technical department who remain behind with the team tend to build a strong bond with the players during the coach’s absence.
“I do not see Dynamos winning the league title this year and my main reason is their lack of mental fortitude as a team. We have been there before and we know the kind of attitude it takes to be successful with a team like Dynamos. Yes they will pose a challenge in the race for the title but I doubt the player’s mental strength to last the distance,” said Chunga.
The former Buffaloes and Gunners coach, who rarely gives media interviews in recent months, said the other challenge that Dynamos faces is the lack of continuity in terms of the players within their ranks.
“There is lack of continuity at Dynamos. They no longer have players coming through from their juniors, graduating into the senior squad. The idea of having such kind of players is that they have allegiance to the club and identify with it.
“As we speak the club is highly likely to lose Christian Epoupa. The club benefits nothing and only loses out on expectations they had to use such a player to win the league,” said Chunga.
Saturday: Black Rhinos FC v ZPC Kariba FC (National Sports Stadium: 1500hrs); Mutare City FC v Chapungu FC (National Sports Stadium: 1300hrs); Harare City FC v Bulawayo City FC (Rufaro Stadium: 1500hrs); FC Platinum v Yadah FC (Mandava Stadium: 1500hrs):
Sunday: Nichrut FC v Chicken Inn FC (Mandava Stadium: 1500hrs); Herentals FC v Highlanders FC (National Sports Stadium: 1500hrs); Triangle United FC v Ngezi Platinum FC (Gibbo Stadium: 1500hrs); Dynamos FC v Shabanie Mine FC (Rufaro Stadium: 1500hrs); Bulawayo Chiefs FC v Caps United FC (Luveve Stadium)