Outlandish costumes, attractive regalia, packed stands, ice-cream and peanuts vendors, an excitable announcer calling upon the first 11 players from both teams — and the whole thing is a build up to a much-anticipated derby match.
Report by Brian Nkiwane
The rivalry that exists between two Manchester football giants, Manchester United and Manchester City has been there before and signs are that it will remain for as long as the two clubs continue to play in the same league.
The effects of their derbies overflow to other countries, even weeks before the match day with players and coaches becoming cautious.
You would not need to be told that the Red Devils will be playing their “Noisy Neighbours”, with what would be happening in Manchester during the countdown to the derby date.
But after watching a recent Harare derby pitting Dynamos and CAPS United, one was left convinced that local derbies no longer fit the bill.
Zimbabwe once had some pulsating derbies that not even a single football fan would have wanted to miss.
It was a football fiesta each time CAPS United engaged DeMbare in a Harare derby and when Highlanders played Zimbabawe Saints in Bulawayo.
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It was not so long ago that another derby was born in Bulawayo when Amazulu got promoted into the topflight league.
It became one of the fiercest derbies in this country, as some of the players that came up through the Highlanders junior ranks joined Usuthu, making it intriguing each time the two teams met.
Another fierce derby emerged in Kwekwe when Kwekwe Cables was promoted to the Premier Soccer League (PSL) with Lancashire Steel.
Grudge matches took centre stage each time the two teams met and one would not want to miss this encounter.
Recently, another derby was born with the coming in of FC Platinum in Zvishavane.
Football coaches that spoke to this publication agreed that the Zvishavane derby is still the only lively derby left in our local football.
Standardsport then spoke to former players, some of whom are now coaches but once had a chance to play in the derbies, to ascertain what has really gone wrong with our derby matches.
Former Dynamos coach, Luke Masomere, who is now a coach at Shabanie Mine, agreed that the rivalry in our local league has declined drastically.
“It’s no longer the same. During the countdown to a derby match, action would start on a Monday, with fans from both sides at times clashing at different drinking outlets. However, I am not saying fans should fight. Even coaches and players, training tactics and effort would shift to another gear,” Masomere said.
Friday Phiri, another coach who played in a number of derbies, said local derbies no longer contained the tension associated with such matches.
“During our time, tension would start a week before the match. These days we lack players who can fight for their respective teams. We used to fight hard, so that we would not lose”
Former Highlanders player Gift Lunga Junior had this to say; “We played for pride. Players these days are after money. It meant a lot for us to don the black and white jersey. It was bitter to lose to Dynamos, CAPS United, Amazulu or Zimbabawe Saints. Our fans would prefer to lose to Chapungu or any other small team, rather than these four teams. It’s the calibre of players that we have now. You can even see the level of our game is deteriorating by each day.” Zenzo Moyo speaks on local derbies
Former Highlanders striker Zenzo Moyo had this to say: “We no longer have the ‘derbies fever’. It’s the character of players that we have these days. They do not treasure the colours of their teams. We used to know that if you score just one goal against Dynamos or CAPS, that goal would mean a lot in your football career.
But the small boys that we have these days, no longer treasure that. Some of them are in football for money, while players during our time did it for pride.”
Moyo added that cross-pollination of players has at some stage caused this but at times helped to improve the level of the game.
“We had a scenario over the weekend where Dynamos had two players [Clive Kawinga and Washington Pakamisa] that had been offloaded by CAPS United while CAPS had one player [George Magariro] who again was offloaded by DeMbare as excess baggage. On its own, this was an ingredient of a thriller.
“These players would want to prove their former bosses wrong, thereby showing us good football which did not happen at all”
