Published by the government of Zimbabwe
Mtulisi Mafa
11 February 2005
Harare — FALLEN Harare giants Dynamos have been given an early tough test of their rebuilding exercise when they begin their quest to win their first Premiership league title in eight years.
While DeMbare will have what appears to be an easier start to the marathon Buddie Premiership season with a home tie against Masvingo United, it will be uphill from there onwards.
DeMbare will travel to Bulawayo, where they only managed four points out of a possible 12 last season, for a tricky fixture at Railstars in their second match.
Sunday Chidzambwa's men will then face Motor Action at home in their third match of the season.
Dynamos plunged to their heaviest defeat of the season at the hands of the Mighty Bulls last season when they were hammered 1-5 in a Zifa Unity Cup match at Rufaro.
The Mighty Bulls have shown a great deal of their commitment to succeed this season and have since signed Zambian striker Dabwitso Nkhoma from Highlanders and Njabulo Ncube from Railstars.
Zambian midfielder Charles Chilufya has also arrived at Callies from Bosso.
The Mighty Bulls look like the side that has the potential to launch a serious challenge to champions CAPS United and DeMbare will not have it easy against Eric Rosen's side.
While Dynamos have been conducting trials in their off-season, the Mighty Bulls have embarked on a pre-season tour of Mozambique and South Africa.
Dynamos' fourth match will be an away tie against Eiffel Wild Cats at Rimuka and by the halfway stage of the first half of the season DeMbare would have played Chapungu (home), Amazulu (away) and newboys Monomotapa (home).
The big Harare Derby - featuring Dynamos and CAPS United - will come in the eighth week of the season.
Dynamos have continued to live in the shadow of their bitter city rivals who swept everything on offer last season.
Dynamos have been disintegrating into a punching bag in the last five years largely because of in-house problems.
But the Harare giants have managed to bring an element of sanity into their team this year after the club's fathers agreed on a unity pact as they work on resuscitating the most successful team in the land.
Chidzambwa, together with a host of former coaches and players, have been working tirelessly at the football grounds as they try to come up with a squad with a potential of bringing back the glory days at the gloomy blue side of town.
Dynamos have roped in midfielder Mtshumayeli Moyo from Zimbabwe Saints and the former youth international has already started training with his new team-mates who include tough tackling midfielder Leo Kurauzvione.
They have managed to retain midfielders Andrew Chifamba and Naison Muchekela and still have striker Norman Maroto in their fold.
The first week also brings the spotlight on the Premiership rookies as the ambitious Monomotapa make the long trip to the Colliery to face Hwange.
Buymore make their official return to the top-flight at home to former champions Amazulu before their clash against newboys Monomotapa in their second game.
Chapungu also make their return to the Premiership with a Midlands derby against Lancashire Steel at Baghdad.
They will face Shabanie at Ascot in their first Premiership match at home.
Champions CAPS United will begin their title defence like the way they started last season's campaign when they face Black Rhinos at the National Sports Stadium
The champions will face a hectic two-week period when they return to Barbourfields in the Battle of Cities in week seven before going back home for the famous Harare derby against Dynamos.
CAPS and Bosso are set on a collision course when they kick-start the Buddie Premiership with a clash in the season's opener, the Charity Shield at Barbourfields.
CAPS stole a point last season in the thrilling 3-3 draw at Barbourfields but succumbed to a 3-4 home defeat in September, their only defeat in a season that they dominated by winning a treble of titles.
The Premiership have three confirmed knock-out trophies with the traditional Independence kick-starting the season of knockout tournaments. The OK Woza Bhora will change format from the controversial one in which customers chose the teams they preferred in the final.
All 16 teams will take part in the knockout tournament with the first round of matches starting in May.
The league will have another knockout tournament - the League Cup - which will start in September. Then there will also be the Buddie Challenge Cup in the same month.
PSL fixtures-secretary Godfrey Japajapa said yesterday that they were still to conclude the sponsorship package of the League Cup.
"I would have loved to draw up a fixture with all the dates of this season's fixtures but that did not materialise because Zifa never gave us their dates for friendly matches.
"We hope that when Zifa draw up their dates they will take into account the Fifa calendar so that dates do not disturb the Premiership programme," said Japajapa.
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