Games between Dynamos and Caps United are regarded among the top 10 derbies in African football, placed alongside those between Al Ahly and Zamalek in Egypt,
Wydad and Raja Casablanca in Morocco, MC Alger and JS Kabylie in Algeria, Club Africaine and Esperance in Tunisia, Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates in South Africa, Canon Yaounde and Tonnerre Yaounde in Cameroon, Hearts of Oak and Asante Kotoko in Ghana, Asec Mimosas and Africa Sports in the Ivory Coast, as well as Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards in Kenya.
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In fact, the DeMbare and the Green Machine derby attracts far bigger crowds than most of the African derbies, but it is different in that it is free from the violence that usually characterises such derbies in Egypt, the Ivory Coast, Tunisia, and the one between River Plate and Boca Juniors in Argentina, which is widely regarded as the biggest derby in world football.
However, never since Zimbabwe’s readmission to international sport in 1980 has the country’s biggest derby had a foreigner as the main actor like this year where Dynamos Portuguese coach Paulo Jorge Silva is the star attraction.
It’s not only because Silva is on the firing line should he lose or draw against the Green Machine, but his theatrical performances on the touchline will be one of the major attractions in a game that is expected to draw a huge crowd.
Fine, Silva has had his share of controversy off the field of play, but the Portuguese coach is the sort of character that Zimbabwean football has been missing since the disappearance from the scene of Wieslaw Grabowski and his blue-eyed boy Kevin “Sporadic” Chidanyika.
Even when their team was losing, Grabowski and Chidanyika would make people on the stands laugh with their theatrical actions on the bench, even though the action was not meant for those on the terraces but to give instructions to those on the field of play.
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There were times when the fans thought Grabowski was talking to them through his gestures, when in fact he was sending instructions to the players on the field of play.
For those not in the know, Grabowski is the man who gave Zimbabwe some of its greatest players in the form of Norman Mapeza, Edelbert Dinha, Lloyd Chitembwe, Alois Bunjira, Stewart Murisa and Gift Muzadzi, to mention only a few.
Hate him or like him — good or bad coach — Silva fits into the Grabowski league as the sort of a coach who entertains fans by his actions on the bench and hates losing. That is the reason why soon after their draw against Triangle, Dynamos fans were singing praises for their Portuguese mentor.
Even though there are question marks over his coaching ability and coaching qualifications, no one can take away the fact that Silva is passionate about his job and the game of football.
Unfortunately, Silva will be lost to Zimbabwean football should he lose in today’s encounter against Caps United. A draw will not save him either, even if his team plays well as he has been tasked to collect maximum points against a team that is on a roll, and is still unbeaten after three games.
There are others who feel that Dynamos have been too harsh on the Portuguese coach as the target they have set for him is unrealistic.
Observers say at least 23 points from 10 games or 14 points from a possible maximum of 18 points from the next six games would have been a realistic target.
A look at the league standings also shows that Dynamos are not way off the leading pack. The Glamour Boys are only three points away from the second placed teams such as Caps United, Chicken Inn and Triangle and only five points behind overall leaders FC Platinum, which is not bad at all.
Ironically, the club executive was incensed by the 3-0 loss at the hands of champions Chicken Inn, forgetting that the 1998 Caf Champions League finalists also lost to the same team by the same scoreline last season and for that matter, at Rufaro Stadium and not away at Barbourfields Stadium as has been the case with Silva.
To the Dynamos leadership, a draw against Triangle was a bad result, but they are also forgetting that the Sugar Sugar Boys are one of the best teams in the land and they even beat DeMbare in the final of the One Wallet Cup in 2014 when the team was under the guidance of Kalisto Pasuwa.
Whatever position Dynamos are at, the club leadership has made its decision and president Keni Mubaiwa was straight to the point that they fire coaches who fail to deliver. Last season, they fired David Mandigora and then later said it was a mistake.
They then appointed Tonderayi Ndiraya, whom they also fired and replaced with Silva.
Now Mubaiwa is also saying it was a mistake to fire Ndiraya in the first place. Observers are saying they hope Mubaiwa won’t be saying the same after parting ways with Silva and things fail to work out.
Surely, in today’s derby, the final result matters for both DeMbare and the Green Machine, but Silva remains the main actor. He knows all eyes will be on him and will do everything to safeguard his job — even if it means playing to the gallery to make the Dynamos fans happy.
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