Dynamos legends who participated in the historic Confederation of African Football (Caf) Champions League final in 1998 have backed the current squad.
Memory Mucherahowa, who captained that star-studded squad in that campaign before they were “robbed” in the trenches of Ivory Coast in the final, and Stanley “Samora” Chirambadare, believe Dynamos’ current crop has enough quality in their ranks to even surpass the 1998 achievements.
The two Dynamos legends have however, warned the youthful side of the impending gruelling campaign in Africa, but said with enough preparation and focus, there is nothing that can stop Callisto Pasuwa’s men from winning the prestigious competition next year.
“It’s very tough out there,” Mwendamberi wrote on the Dynamos fan page, DeMbare DotComs yesterday.
“They are going to meet some dirty tactics, sometimes sleeping at the airport without food or no one to welcome them.
Sometimes there will be no one to take them to a hotel and the type of food they are going to eat will be bad. Some will end up with running stomachs. They will just need to be tough out there.”
Dynamos were given a bye in the preliminary stages of the Champions League again this year by virtue of being one of the 12 best teams on the continent.
The League and Cup double winners will be waiting to play the winner between Mafunzo of Zanzibar and Mozambique’s MuÇulmana de Maputo on the weekend of March 23-25 in the first round.
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If the Harare giants manage to progress beyond Mafunzo or MuÇulmana, they are likely to meet the tournament’s defending champions Espérance of Tunisia in the second round.
“Yes we can beat anyone. The team needs to be focussed and play their normal game. I have faith in the players and the technical team,”
Chirambadare wrote on DeMbare DotComs fan page.
Mucherahowa said if he had not been head-butted into unconsciousness in a warm-up altercation that consequently ruled him out of the Asec Mimosas final match, Dynamos could have won that fateful match in Abidjan where they wanted a scoring draw to be crowned champions.
Without their inspirational leader, Dynamos went on to lose 4-2. Ironically, Mwendamberi revealed that Dynamos’ current coach Pasuwa, who was part of that team, was the one who started the brawl that eventually cost the team.
“Mana (Pasuwa) was too playful those days. “You know when you are young and playing regularly in a good side you can be very stubborn.
So we were told to use one half and the other team (Asec Mimosas) the other half, but Pasuwa contested that and he encroached into their half. That’s when the scuffle started,” recalled Mucherahowa.
