Published by the government of Zimbabwe
30 August 2008
opinion
Harare — The last time they played at Rufaro was exactly 25 years ago - an historic occasion when they turned on the style to destroy the myth that foreign football clubs could not win at the good old stadium.
It's 1983.
Vanessa Williams has just become the first African-American to be crowned Miss America, Microsoft Word has just been unveiled and tennis legend Bjorn Borg has just retired after winning five straight Wimbledon titles.
A boy who would grow up to help the Springboks win the World Rugby Cup, speed merchant Bryan Habana, is born while, across the continent in Cairo, a rebellious but talented footballer, called Mido, is also born by the Nile.
Polish leader Lech Walesa wins the Nobel Peace Prize, Sally Ride, on board the Challenger, becomes the first woman in space while Gulon Bluford, on board the same ship, becomes the first African American.
Compact Discs begin to surface in the world, Scarface is a major movie hit around the globe while the super rock group Bon Jovi is formed.
The world is dancing to Michael Jackson's classic album Thriller -- a compilation of songs which would become the best selling album of all-time.
The video that accompanies the lead song Thriller is a scarry 13-minute horror mini-film featuring some zombies who join Jackson in a classic dance.
The terrifying little film features corpses rising from their graves, some with falling arms, who then join Jackson in a dance whose beauty is in stark contrast to the scarry images performing it.
We all seem to know the lyrics of the song Thriller, because it is such a big hit in the world, and we all seem to know all the little details about the scarry video.
An Egyptian team comes to Rufaro and hands Dynamos its first defeat, in an African Champions League game at home, and suddenly the lyrics of the song Thriller and the accompanying video appear to have been produced for the DeMbare fans.
It's close to midnight and something evil's lurking in the dark
Under the moonlight you see a sight that almost stops your heart
You try to scream, but terror takes the sound before you make it
You start to freeze, as horror looks you right between the eyes,
You're paralysed
Cause this is thriller, thriller night
And no one's gonna save you from the beast about strike
You know it's thriller, thriller night
You're fighting for your life inside a killer, thriller tonight
You hear the door slam, and realise there's nowhere left to run
You feel the cold hand, and wonder if you'll ever see the sun
You close your eyes, and hope that this is just imagination
But all the while, you hear the creature creepin up behind
You're out of time
Until that defeat at the hands of that Egyptian side, Dynamos had turned Rufaro into a fortress and their fans had begun to believe that their team was virtually unbeatable at home -- especially against foreign sides.
DeMbare's first Champions League game at home was against Linare in 1981 and they powered their way to a comprehensive 5-0 victory.
Nigerian giants Shooting Stars followed and were handed a 0-3 defeat at Rufaro.
Crack Algerian outfit Jet, now known as JS Kabylie, were the next at Rufaro in a quarter-final tie and held Dynamos to a 2-2 while FC Lupopo of the Democratic Republic of Congo held Dynamos to a 1-1 draw.
But Kenyan champions AFC Leopards were no match for DeMbare and were soundly beaten 1-5 at Rufaro while Botswana Defence Forces held on a 2-2 draw before a 1-2 defeat in Gaborone sent them bowing out of the competition.
So by the time that Egyptian side arrived at Rufaro, there was an air of invincibility, in home matches, in the DeMbare camp in Champions League ties.
But all was about to change.
After 90 minutes of a furious and tense battle rich in technique and flair, Dynamos were floored for the first time on home soil as they lost 1-2 in the second leg of this second round Champions League tie in 1983.
The team that beat them was called Al Ahly.
Back in those days, we used to know them by the English version of their name -- National Sports Club.
It was their maiden trip to Zimbabwe and, in the first leg of the match in Cairo, they had powered their way to a 4-1 win and virtually put one foot into the quarter-finals.
But the DeMbare fans had seen their team tear apart a strong Shooting Stars of Nigeria 3-0 at Rufaro two years earlier and they remained confident of a similar scoreline, which would have put Dynamos into the quarter-finals on the away goals rule.
However, this wasn't Shooting Stars. This wasn't an average African club side. This was Al Ahly.
And, in their ranks, they had the finest African player at the time and one of the greatest African players of all-time -- super forward Mohamed El-Khatib.
In Egypt they simply called him Bibo.
The Confederation of African Football voted him the second best African player in the last 50 years and, at 29 by the time Al Ahly beat Dynamos at Rufaro in 1983, he was at the peak of his powers.
El-Khatib was so skilful that opponents resorted to kicking him, as a way to try and stop him, and his officials once tried to counter that vicious treatment by giving the Number 10 shirt, which he used to wear, to someone else in one match.
Bibo played in a different shirt number in that match but the trick never worked.
He won 11 league titles with Al Ahly, six Egyptian Cups, three African Champions League titles, three African Cup of Cup Winners and was voted Egyptian Player of the Year five times.
In 1983, the year that Al Ahly became the first foreign team to beat Dynamos at Rufaro, El-Khatib was voted the African Player of the Year and, at the turn of the millennium, he was voted the Arab Sportsman of the 20th Century.
El-Khatib remains the all-time leading goalscorer in African club competitions with 37 goals in both the Champions League and Cup Winners Cup.
He also was noted for his Fair Play and in the 450 local and international matches for Al Ahly and Egypt, Bibo never received a yellow card and he is now an ambassador for Fifa's Fair Play scheme.
Today El-Khatib is now the vice-president of Al Ahly.
Simply The Best
Al Ahly are the best and biggest football team that Africa has ever seen -- a giant that compares favourably with the best clubs in the world.
Formed in 1907, Al Ahly have risen, especially after 1980, to become the most dominant African football club.
Two years ago they came third at the Fifa Club World Cup -- a massive achievement for an African club and Egypt came to a standstill when they returned home.
They have five Champions League titles -- '82, '87, 2001, 2005, 2006 and they have qualified for three straight finals since they won the tournament in 2005.
They have four Cup of Cup Winners titles -- '84, '85, '86 and '93, three Super Cups -- 2002, 2006 and 2007 and they were the Afro-Asian Champions in '88.
They won the Arab Champions Cup in '96, the Arab Cup Winners Cup in '95 and the Arab Super Cup in '97 and '98.
They have 33 league titles in Egypt, they are 35-time winners of the Egyptian Cup and five times they have won the Egyptian Super Cup.
Al Ahly are not a mere football club -- they are a big part of life in Egypt and, over the years, they have become a symbol of the country itself.
Al Ahly has the largest number of supporters in Egypt with rough estimates showing that 70 percent of the people in that country are fierce fans of the club.
The club also enjoys massive support throughout the Arab World where it is seen as a symbol of success and there are 14 clubs now in the Middle East and Africa who were named after Al Ahly.
Al Ahly versus Zimbabwe
The Egyptian giants might have last played at Rufaro in 1983 but they have been visitors to Zimbabwe twice now after that landmark trip when they beat Dynamos 2-1 in Harare.
In 1991, Al Ahly came back to Zimbabwe and played Highlanders in a Champions League match at Barbourfields and won 1-0.
The Egyptians had won the first leg 3-1.
Last year, Al Ahly were back in Zimbabwe and took on Bosso in a Champions League tie and were held to a goalless draw at Barbourfields.
They won the return leg 2-0.
Facts and Figures - Al Ahly v Zim teams
P W D L F A Pts
7 6 1 0 14 4 19
Success Rate - 90,5 percent
l Dynamos have lost all three games against Al Ahly, conceding eight goals and scoring three.
l Dynamos have scored in every game against Al Ahly -- losing 1-4 and 1-2 in Cairo and 1-2 in Harare.
l Highlanders are the only Zimbabwean club to avoid defeat against Al Ahly -- holding the Egyptians to a goalless draw at Barbourfields last year.
l Bosso, like DeMbare, have also lost three games against the Egyptians -- 1-3 and 0-2 in Cairo and 0-1 at Barbourfields in '91.
l Dynamos have a zero percent failure rate against Al Ahly while Highlanders have an 8,33 percent failure rate against Ahly.
Dynamos v Egyptian clubs
DeMbare have NEVER beaten an Egyptian side in the Champions League.
The Harare giants have played three games against Al Ahly and lost all three and they have played three games against Zamalek and lost all three.
Results - Al Ahly 4, Dynamos 1, Dynamos 1, Al Ahly 2; Zamalek 2, Dynamos 1, Dynamos 0, Zamalek 2; Zamalek 1, Dynamos 0; Al Ahly 2, Dynamos 1
Overall Table - DeMbare v Egyptian clubs
P W D L F A Pts
6 0 0 6 4 13 0
Failure Rate - Zero Percent
Dynamos v North African clubs
The Harare giants have played seven North African clubs in the Champions League in the past 27 years -- JS Kabylie (Algeria), Al Ahly, Zamalek (Egypt), Al Hilal (Sudan), US Chaouia (Algeria), Etoile du Sahel and Esperance (Tunisia).
Dynamos have played JS Kabylie four times, Al Hilal four times, Etoile du Sahel four times, Zamalek three times, al Ahly three times and the rest twice each.
Overall DeMbare Table Against North Africans
P W D L F A Pts
22 8 2 12 19 29 26
Failure Rate - 39,39 percent
Dynamos Home Losses
The Harare giants have lost three times at home in the Champions League in 27 years on the continent in which they have played in 73 matches to date.
All the home defeats have come against North African opposition -- Al Ahly at Rufaro in '83, Zamalek at Rufaro in '86 and Esperance at the National Sports Stadium in '99.
In all their losses at home, Dynamos have conceded two goals -- 1-2 against Ahly, 0-2 against Zamalek and 0-2 against Esperance.
DeMbare's Overall Figures
Dynamos have played 73 games in the biggest inter-club tournament on the continent since their opening Champions League tie against Linare in 1981.
Overall DeMbare Table in Champions League
P W D L F A Pts
73 38 14 21 111 76 128
Success Rate - 58,45 percent
l The seventh goal Dynamos scored against Reunion side St Louisenne in a 7-2 victory at the National Sports Stadium in '99 was the 100th goal by DeMbare in the Champions League.
l That 7-2 victory was the biggest win by the Harare giants at this level of competition.
l Dynamos have scored five or more goals on four other occasions in the Champions League -- crushing Mbabane Highlanders 6-1 in '87, beating Linare 5-0 in '81, AFC Leopards (Kenya) 5-1 '83 and Maji Maji (Tanzania) 5-1 in '86.
l DeMbare's two biggest defeats were against Al Ahly 1-4 in Cairo '83 and Shooting Stars (Nigeria) 1-5 in Lagos in '96.
l Four times Dynamos lost at the quarter-final stage -- '81, '84, '87 and '95.
l Five times Dynamos have lost in the second round.
Other Zim Teams in Champs League
Highlanders
P W D L F A Pts
19 7 4 8 20 21 25
Failure Rate - 43,85 percent
CAPS United
P W D L F A Pts
11 3 3 5 21 20 12
Failure Rate - 33,36 percent
Amazulu
P W D L F A Pts
4 2 1 1 8 6 7
Success Rate - 58,33 percent
Zimbabwe Saints
P W D L F A Pts
6 1 3 2 5 6 6
Failure Rate - 33,33 percent
Black Rhinos
P W D L F A Pts
8 4 2 2 12 9 14
Success Rate - 60,74 percent
Combined Zim Teams in Champs League
P W D L F A Pts
Dynamos 73 38 14 21 111 76 128
Highlanders 19 7 4 8 20 21 25
Black Rhinos 8 4 2 2 12 9 14
CAPS United 11 3 3 5 21 20 12
Amazulu 4 2 1 1 8 6 7
Zimbabwe Saints 6 1 3 2 5 6 6
Total 121 55 27 38 177 138 192
Success Rate - 52,89 percent
DeMbare Against Southern African teams
P W D L F A Pts
23 14 8 1 44 16 50
Success Rate - 72,5 percent
l Dynamos' 0-2 loss at the hands of Costa do Sol in Maputo in a first round tie this year was the first defeat by the Harare giants against a Southern African team in the Champions League.
l Dynamos, though, had lost to Jomo Cosmos in 1997 but that was in a Cup of Cup Winners tie.
l DeMbare have played 11 different Southern African teams in the Champions League in the past 27 years -- Linare (Lesotho), Botswana Defence Forces, FC Lupopo (DRC), Mahajanga (Madagascar), Mbabane Highlanders (Swaziland), Petro (Angola), Telecom Wanderers (Malawi), Ferroviario (Mozambique), Costa do Sol (Mozambique), Royal Leopards (Swaziland), Lesotho Defence Forces (Lesotho).
l Only one team, Costa do Sol, managed to beat Dynamos from that group.
Is DeMbare Southern Africa's Best?
Dynamos have never been crowned African champions but reached the final in 1998 where they controversially lost to Asec Mimosas of Cote d'Ivoire 2-4 on aggregate.
Soweto giants Orlando Pirates won the tournament in 1995 after beating the Ivorians 3-2 on aggregate with Jerry Skhosana scoring a priceless winner in Abidjan following a 2-2 first leg draw in Johannesburg.
But in terms of consistency, Dynamos have been clearly above the rest from this part of the continent when it comes to the Champions League and the team that eliminates them usually goes all the way to the final or wins the tournament.
l The JS Kabylie team that eliminated Dynamos in the quarter-finals in '81 won the tournament after crushing AS Vita Club of the DRC 5-0 in the final.
l FC Lupopo eliminated Dynamos on the away goals rule in the second round in '82 and reached the semi-finals, losing to eventual finalists Asante Kotoko 1-4 on aggregate.
l Al Ahly eliminated Dynamos in the second round in '83 and went all the way to final where they lost to Asante Kotoko 0-1.
l JS Kabylie eliminated Dynamos in the quarter-finals on penalties in '84 and reached the semis where they lost 3-4 to eventual winners Zamalek.
l Zamalek eliminated Dynamos in the second round in '86 and won the trophy with a 4-2 penalty shootout victory over Africa Sports of Cote d'Ivoire.
l Canon Yaounde eliminated Dynamos in the second round in '87 and lost in the semi-finals in a penalty shootout to Al Hilal.
l Express eliminated Dynamos in the second round in '95 but lost to Pirates in the semi-finals who went on to beat Asec to win the tournament.
l Shooting Stars eliminated Dynamos in the second round 4-6 on aggregate and lost on penalties to Zamalek in the final.
A Bank of Memories
The DeMbare fans will probably say that the Class of '98, that came within 90 minutes of being crowned champions of Africa, was the best group to ever represent their team in this competition.
But there have been some very good Dynamos teams who, through an unfortunate combination of factors, did not get that far.
It is also important to note that in the '80s, the majority of the best African players were plying their trade at home and winning the Champions League was tough while now, with the best crop in Europe, it's a little easier to succeed in this competition.
DeMbare were so strong, in the '80s, that they lost only one of the first 10 Champions League games.
Take for instance the Class of '81 that beat Shooting Stars of Nigeria home and away, 5-1 on aggregate, and were only unlucky to meet a buoyant JS Kabylie, then the best team on the continent, in the quarter-finals?
Or the Class of '84 that met the same JS Kabylie in the quarter-finals and won 2-0 at Rufaro in the first leg before losing 0-2 in Algeria in the second leg with Lucky Dube saving a penalty in regulation time.
With DeMbare players reluctant to take penalties in the shootout, up-stepped Dube and, when he missed, the dream was over.
Or that Dynamos team that appeared to be on its way to glory when they restricted Canon Yaounde to a 2-1 first leg win in 1987 and, with Moses Chunga back from Belgium for the second leg before a 60 000 capacity crowd at the National Sports Stadium, the nation believed.
All that was needed was a 1-0 win but the Cameroonians scored and when Chunga rifled home a free-kick, it was game on but the late Charles Chirwa missed a sitter, after fine work by the Razorman, and the chance was lost.
Greatest DeMbare Performance Ever
Two games stand out here.
Dynamos v US Chaouia, Champions League second round, second leg tie, Algeria
The Harare giants were on their way out of the tournament after being held to a 1-1 draw at home by the Algerians.
But Dynamos, inspired by the talents of a Flying Doctor called Tauya Murewa, produced their greatest show of all-time on foreign soil on the continent and beat the Algerians 3-2 to qualify 4-3 on aggregate.
Dynamos v Shooting Stars, Champions League second round, second leg tie, Harare
Having crashed to a 1-5 defeat in Lagos, Dynamos were down and out of the tournament against a strong Shooting Stars team that had a good goalkeeper called Abiodun Baruwa.
But DeMbare turned on the style at the National Sports Stadium, with an impressive all-round attacking show in which Murewa, once again, featured prominently and won the game 3-1.
The only question after the match, in which the defeated Dynamos players were given a standing ovation by their fans, was how did they fail to get more than five goals given their dominance?
The answer lay in an inspired goalkeeping show by Baruwa.
Heartbreak At The Giant Stadium
If there is one game where Dynamos really broke the hearts of their fans in the Champions League, then it is their quarter-final tie against Express of Uganda at the National Sports Stadium in 1995.
Having won the first leg 1-0 in Kampala, with Chunga converting a penalty, Dynamos appeared poised to qualify for the semi-finals for the first time in their history.
But a suicidal technical gamble in which Chunga was relegated to the bench, backfired terribly and Express struck and cancelled out DeMbare's away goal.
In the second half, Chunga was brought in and his first touch, bringing the ball down on his chest and firing home a beautiful volley from distance, gave DeMbare a lifeline and at 1-1 they were still qualifying.
But their defence panicked again and Express scored again and although Chunga created a great chance for Vitalis Takawira to equalise and put DeMbare through, the demons of '87 struck and the Ugandans won 2-1 and, with the aggregate score 2-2, qualified for the semis on the away goals rule.
Mukadzi waLot
So that's what they are calling Justice Majabvi in the Vietnam Stand? It really made me laugh, you know.
They say Majabvi has this frustrating tendency to turn back, every time he gets possession, he reminds them of Lot's wife.
It's all from that biblical story of Lot's wife who defied strong warnings not to look back as Sodom and Gomorra was being destroyed, and instantly froze into a pillar of salt.
Today's Number One Hit Song
Sadomba, patimire pakaoma
Sadomba, patimire pakaoma
Duduza, patimire pakaoma
Duduza, patimire pakaoma
Joke of the Week - King of the Jungle
Now that the kings of African football are here, I thought about this joke this week:
A lion woke up one morning feeling really rowdy. He went out and cornered a small monkey and roared: "Who's the mightiest of all jungle animals?"
The trembling monkey says, "You are, mighty lion!"
Later, the lion confronts a wildebeest and roars again: "Who is the mightiest of all jungle animals?"
The terrified wildbeest stammers, "Oh great lion, of course."
On a roll now, the lion meets an elephant and roars: "Who is mightiest of all jungle animals?"
Fast as lightning, the elephant snatches up the lion with his trunk, slams him against a tree half a dozen times.
The lion, now powerless and badly bruised, lets out a moan of pain, lifts his head weakly and tries to shout:
"Just because you don't know the answer, doesn't mean you should be this vicious."
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