Maruwa worried by divisions over Denver

DYNAMOS coach Herbert Maruwa is a worried man.

The youthful coach was at the receiving end of the wrath of a section of hard-to-please Dynamos supporters on Sunday.

And his crime was that he did not field their favourite player Denver Mukamba in the goalless draw against Triangle at the National Sports Stadium.

They were also irked by the order issued last week by their national representative association, which prohibited them from giving any individual player money.

Mukamba has been showered with cash by DeMbare fans at the end of the team’s matches this season in appreciation of his contributions to the team.

But the Dynamos Supporters Association secretary general Jane Mushininga directed all supporters to stop rewarding individuals, saying the practice had the potential to divide the team.

But the move has been met with resistance by a section of DeMbare supporters.

Some DeMbare fans even brought printed banners denouncing the national executive in defiance of the order.

The fans, who were also irked by the team’s poor showing on the day, barricaded the main exit to vent their frustrations.

Maruwa said the divisions over Mukamba had the potential to destabilise the team.

“I think we need to be united at all levels from the supporters to the top management. It’s a cause for concern when we do not pull in one direction as a club.

“I think we should all support the project. We all want to transform Dynamos back to be a title winning side that it used to be but then when people bring their differences to the stadium it ends up affecting the whole team.

“I am of the belief that the supporters’ chapters and their leaders hip should meet and agree on how they want to go about the issue.

“From the way things happened on Sunday, it appears people had pre-conceived agendas and even brought banners to the stadium,” said Maruwa.

He also said he had no problem with Mukamba and also defended his decision to sit him on the bench on Sunday.

Maruwa believes the DeMbare technical department were doing their best to manage Mukamba’s revival after recovering from his struggles in the last few years.

“For Denver to come back to Dynamos, it was through the input and lobbying by the guys in the technical team at a time when many people were saying a lot of bad things about this boy after he was released by the clubs he played for.

“We took him in because we believed in his potential. He was down and now his game is coming up, I am appealing to people not to disturb his progress.

“It’s our wish for Denver to get to his best. Dynamos must be the winner at the end of it all,” said Maruwa.

The Dynamos supporters national executive believe the showering of Mukamba with cash could damage the fabric of the team as well as the brand with current sponsors and potential partners.

Mushaninga said the fans need to be systematic if they wanted to reward the players with cash.

“It has come to our attention that the “Sunday offering” we give to players after matches in the stadium have the potential to cause divisions in the camp and bring the brand and name of our sponsor into disrepute,” read the statement from the supporters’ national executive.

“Acknowledgement of good performance by our players is good from us supporters but we can use other means behind the scenes and not in stadia. We can organise our marshals to be at the team bus after the match with boxes which supporters can drop their offerings.

“Thereafter the money can be counted and shared to all players. We promise to support the team without causing discontent in the camp as well as protecting the name of our principal sponsor.”

Dynamos assistant coach Murape Murape said the club would rather focus on the bigger picture, which is building a team that is capable of winning the league title from the young crop at their disposal.

“It’s either you are supporting the vision or you are supporting division. One of the things that is not being valued is the togetherness and the importance of team spirit in this young squad,” he posted on Facebook.

“When you look at this current squad, we have some exciting players, we lack a bit of experience, but equally important for me and more fundamental is the environment that is created and that relationship between the players.

“That can help build the type of resilience to get through some hard moments on the pitch and to become real Champions.

“It is often the collective dynamics that determines how a team performs and work together to be able to be-come champions. If we do not value that, then we are only our worst enemies,” posted Murape.

DeMbare face Herentals in their next match on Saturday.

Fixtures: Tomorrow: Black Rhinos v Ngezi Platinum Stars ( NSS)

Friday: Cranborne Bullets v GreenFuel ( NSS) Saturday: Herentals v Dynamos ( NSS), Bulawayo Chiefs v Sheasham (Luveve), Manica Diamonds v Chicken Inn (Gibbo)

Sunday: CAPS United v Hwange ( NSS), Triangle v Yadah (Gibbo), Highlanders v Simba Bhora ( Barbourfields), Ngezi Platinum Stars v Platinum (Baobab)

Monday: Kariba v Black Rhinos (