Eddie Chikamhi Harare Bureau
AFTER an indifferent season in which they surrendered their four-year dominance of the domestic game Harare giants Dynamos get a chance to atone for a forgettable year when they face off against old foes Highlanders in the Joshua Nkomo Legacy Cup tournament.
Dynamos saw their four-year stranglehold on the Castle Lager Premiership title ended by Chicken Inn with the Glamour Boys only managing to rally from behind to edge FC Platinum into second place.
The Harare giants who swept to glory in most of the cup competitions they took part in last year also found themselves with nothing to show in their trophy cabinet after losing out to Harare City in the Chibuku Cup finals and being eliminated by Bosso in the Easycall Cup.
Coach Tonderai Ndiraya and his men now get an opportunity to put the smiles on their fans when they face Bosso in the two-legged final that will also mark the Unity Day festivities.
DeMbare will be at home for the first leg at Rufaro on Sunday in what will be the last game they will play before their home fans this year.
There had been some questions on why Dynamos and Highlanders had been chosen to battle it out in the competition that also commemorates the legacy of the late Vice President Joshua Nkomo.
But organisers of the Joshua Nkomo Legacy Cup said yesterday they have settled for the country’s two football giants to feature in the event as part of the celebrations to mark the Unity Day festivities largely because of the popularity of the two clubs.
The cup tourney which is organised by the Joshua Nkomo Foundation is expected to be played over two legs with Dynamos at home this Sunday at Rufaro and the return leg scheduled for Barbourfields on Unity Day two days later.
Jabulani Hadebe, chief executive officer of the Foundation, yesterday told our sister paper The Herald that everything was in place for the staging of the competition.
Hadebe said the aim is to celebrate the legacy of the late Vice-President Joshua Nkomo but they have taken advantage of the absence of the Zifa Unity Cup this year to embrace the Unity Day.
“Many people have been asking why Dynamos and Highlanders but we found out these teams are arguably the biggest football brands in Zimbabwe.
“We believe they have been instrumental over the years in bringing people together. We also want to celebrate our National Unity Day through football.
“Hence we thought since we are remembering the legacy of a giant in the politics of Zimbabwe, who also came together with another giant President Mugabe to foster the unity we are enjoying as a nation, we should also bring on two football giants.
“Joshua Nkomo was a man of the people and we felt the match should be played over two legs since there is need that his legacy be celebrated by all Zimbabweans. So the best we could do was to have the match over two legs in Harare and Bulawayo,” said Hadebe.
The prize monies were still being worked on yesterday.
But DeMbare eager to make up for their poor season, have been preparing for the match since the beginning of the week but there seemed to be problems in their opponents’ camp.
Highlanders yesterday insisted they will not take part in the proposed tie unless they get clearance from Zifa and the Premier Soccer League.
The Bulawayo giants claimed they had not received the go ahead from the PSL and had sent their players home for the off-season.
Bosso chief executive Ndumiso Gumede said they had informed the organisers of their position although it was later established that Zifa had given the thumbs up for the two matches.
“I don’t know if this game has now been sanctioned or not. When we were approached by the guys organising the event we told them that we are not averse to participating in this match, we have no problem at all playing but they must first get clearances from the football authorities at Zifa and PSL.
“We had given our players rest after that cup win on Sunday and as we are speaking, we have not received the official communication from the PSL.
“The good thing though is that most of our players are based in Bulawayo and if push comes to shove the coaches may need to call on them one by one, thanks to the technology that we have these days,” said Gumede.
Highlanders are still fresh from winning their only silverware of the season following last Sunday’s 1-0 victory over Chicken Inn in the final of the NetOne Easycall Cup.
It was the first time in three years that Bosso had won major silverware with their last success having come at Barbourfields when they beat How Mine in the final of the 2013 Mbada Diamonds Cup.
Bosso’s 2-1 victory over Dynamos in the Easycall Cup also ended the Bulawayo giants’ 10-year wait to beat their adversaries.
Zifa spokesperson Xolisani Gwesela said they have cleared the match and had communicated to PSL.
Gwesela said the usual gate charges have been maintained with tickets for the rest of the ground pegged at $3,$5 and $10 for the VIP.
This could be the last match in charge for Highlanders’ interim coach Amini Soma-Phiri.
Gumede said Bosso are most likely to have a new coach before Christmas.
He said they will not be swayed to appoint Soma-Phiri on the basis of his successes after leading the Bulawayo giants on a late charge which included winning the Easycall Cup following a mediocre season.
“I don’t know where this pressure is coming from. Maybe the media failed to pick it when we said the appointment of Amini and Cosmas Zulu was a stop-gap measure whilst we search for a substantive coach.
“Let me stress that it was stop-gap and there was never a condition that we will engage them permanently. So the search is still on and I’m sure, now that the season has ended, we should be able to finalise that by next week,” said Gumede.