IT’S 12 years since Bulawayo giants and the country’s oldest football club Highlanders last won the league championship.
BY MUNYARADZI MADZOKERE
If they had been up there competing for honours with others, there would not be need for any despondency, but Bosso have finished sixth, third, sixth and fifth in the last four seasons respectively.
Fellow Harare giants Dynamos are in their fourth year since they were champions while CAPS United were the 2016 league winners.
A new trajectory in Zimbabwean football has seen the rise of financially sound clubs such as FC Platinum, Ngezi Platinum and Chicken Inn, who are dominating the transfer market at the expense of the traditional giants.
Where they lack in terms of finances, the traditional giants of local football make up for that by resorting to junior structures in the quest for success.
Most daring is Highlanders legend Madinda Ndlovu, who has taken over as coach at Bosso and immediately decided to bring back the club culture of relying on the junior policy for players instead of buying talent.
Though Dynamos have brought in a number of quality players, they seem to have warmed up to the idea of nurturing and selling players instead of buying.
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Last week 19-year-old DeMbare attacker Kudzanayi Dhemere rolled back the years for the Glamour Boys when he decided the big Harare derby against CAPS United in the ZNA Charities Shield semifinal, scoring a scorcher of a goal to hand a young side victory.
The big question remains whether the decision by two of the country’s clubs to resort to junior policy will pay off in an environment where financial muscle almost always guarantees success all over the world.
“The idea is to try and get back to the correct path; bring back the Highlanders tradition or culture.
We are looking at a long-term kind of solution and we want to put into a place a mechanism which is going to be followed by anybody who takes over Highlanders after me so that the culture does not die.
That is the biggest mandate I have,” Ndlovu said in an interview with The Sports Hub recently.
“I have been appointed to be the technical manager of Highlanders with a view to bring fresh and young blood into the team and bring back the lost glory to the team. I do understand that it is not all about good players in the club, but also to do with our economic situation,” he added.
Ndlovu plunges into a new season with a relatively young squad having discarded veteran players such as Ralph Matema, Erick Mudzingwa, Simon Munawa, Tendai Ngulube and Allen Gahadzikwa.
Yet he was not very active in the market, opting to graduate players from the Highlanders juniors.
Madinda is known for recruiting most of the players who went on to win the league title four times in a row, in 1999 and 2000 under coach Rahman Gumbo and in 2001 and 2002 under Briton Eddie May.
A lot is expected from Dynamos this season after they finished as runners-up in the league race last season.
Dynamos, known to depend on their juniors in the past, had recently turned into a buying club despite constantly having to weather financial struggles.
“In exactly three years we should not be talking about buying players, but we should be selling to other teams locally and abroad while we are winning the championship,” Dynamos president Kenni Mubaiwa said.
“We have a vibrant junior policy led by Murape Murape and his team; and we have already spoken to the coaches in the senior team to involve young players more in our quest to win the league title.
“We have been struggling to compete in the transfer market because of money, but we realise we should not be buying in the first place but we should be making our money from selling players beyond our borders as has been the Dynamos tradition,” he said.
Dynamos have brought in senior new players in Blessing Moyo, Jimmy Tigere, Raphael Manuvire and James Marufu to name but a few and will have to rope in a number of players from the youth ranks.
Already youngsters like Dhemere, Valentine Kadonzvo, Panashe Mutasa, Tanaka Makuwatsine and Tawanda Macheke are primed for bigger roles in the team this year.
Meanwhile, CAPS United, who are itching to win back the title they lost to FC Platinum, have been fairly active in the transfer market and have roped in a number of quality signings.
With additions such as Brian Muzondiwa, Praise Tonha, Wisdom Mutasa as well as the experience of Method Mwanjali, Oscar Machapa and Munyaradzi Diya, the Green Machine are genuine contenders for the championship.
Following their early exit from the champions league, champions FC Platinum will remain the team to beat this season having bolstered their ranks by bringing in the likes of Jameson Mukombwe, Farai Madhanhanga, Never Tigere and Cameroonian Albert Eonde, among others.
Their rival platinum miners Ngezi Platinum have been rather quiet in the market, considering their embarrassment of riches has brought in two top goalkeepers in Donovan Bernard and Tatenda Munditi, while Tichaona Chipunza and Frank Mukarati have also joined the Mhondoro-based club.
Chicken Inn, champions in 2015, are no longer lightweight in Zimbabwean football and remain the dark horse in the league race especially after the return of former coach Joey Antipas.
Antipas has added to his team Simon Munawa, defender Kudzai Chideu, Wellington Kamudyariwa [formerly with Yadah FC] and striker Adrian Banana, who was on loan at Bulawayo Chiefs last season.
