Lloyd Mutungamiri
27 September 2008
ZIMBABWEAN soccer champions Dynamos face Cameroonian outfit Coton Sport in a CAF Champions League semi-final first leg tie next Sunday seriously lacking match-practice.
A conspiracy of sorts sees the Harare giants going two weeks without kicking a ball in a competitive match before the showdown set for Rufaro Stadium -- not the best of hunting grounds for the tournament's surprise packets.
The Glamour Boys' last competitive outing was a Champions League match against Zamalek at Rufaro Stadium last weekend, which took them just two fixtures away from the final. Dynamos have had two games scrapped since, leaving them heavily exposed when they wade into battle against the West Africans.
DeMbare were supposed to play Railstars in a CBZ FA Cup second round match last Wednesday, but the game was called off at the eleventh hour following court action by former PSL side Zimbabwe Saints, who insisted they should still be in the competition.
The Harare giants were then fixtured to play Monomotapa in a league match tomorrow afternoon, but this too has also been postponed after the league pacesetters argued its timing would rob them of much-needed gate revenue.
This leaves the reigning league champions heavily exposed going into Sunday's showdown against the free-scoring Cameroonians, who stormed into the semis of the lucrative tournament following a comprehensive 3-0 thrashing of Nigeria's Enyimba. That sealed their place among the last four of the tournament alongside Dynamos, Egypt's Al Ahly and Enyimba.
According to the Premier Soccer League, the DeMbare/Monomotapa match could not be held today following fears it would act as a counter-attraction to yesterday's ABC Sup8R final featuring a rejuvenated Caps United and resurgent FC Lengthens. The Green Machine and the Happy People were at Rufaro Stadium for the last round of the eight-team tournament, with fears fans would stay away from the final in anticipation of a mouth-watering clash pitting team-of-the-moment Monomotapa and a Dynamos side firmly on course for their second CAF Champions League final appearance.
But the league management's action could backfire in devastating fashion, as two of the club's long-time injury victims -- midfielder Desmond Maringwa (pictured left) and Wonder Sithole -- are expected to be back in the team after resuming full training last week.
A domestic league or cup match would have given the DeMbare coaches the opportunity to further assess the players' match-fitness before the blood-and-thunder clash, as the Harare giants chase their first-ever continental silverware. They came close in 1988, losing to Ivorian giants ASEC Mimosas 2-4 in an incident-packed final.
The two-legged semi-finals are scheduled for the weekend of 3-5 October and then two weeks later.
The winners advance to a two-legged final with the victors collecting US$1m and an invitation to the Fifa Club World Cup in Japan.
Meanwhile, three Premiership matches have been lined-up this afternoon with former champions Highlanders hosting Eastern Lions at Barbourfields, Gunners facing Lancashire Steel at Rufaro Stadium, while Underhill and Chapungu clash at Mucheke. On Wednesday, Masvingo United are at home to Caps United at Mucheke Stadium, while Shooting Stars take on Lengthens at Rufaro.
CBZ PSL fixtures
Gunners v Lancashire Steel (Rufaro), Highlanders v Eastern Lions (B/F), Underhill v Chapungu (Mucheke)
Wednesday: Masvingo United v CAPS United (Mucheke), Shooting Stars v Lengthens (Rufaro)
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