BY MUNYARADZI MADZOKERE
NEW Dynamos captain Partson Jaure (right) has expressed frustration at the delay to the start of the 2020 Premier Soccer League campaign due to the Covid-19 pandemic, which has brought sports activities to a grinding halt globally.
Jaure returned to his boyhood club at the beginning of the year and has been handed the armband in the new-look Dynamos squad ahead of the upcoming season.
The 29-year-old defender was also set to lead the Warriors squad at the African Championships (CHAN) finals, which had been scheduled for April 4 – 25 in Cameroon.
The continental tournament, reserved for players plying their trade in their home countries, has also been postponed.
Formerly with University of Pretoria in South Africa as well Ngezi Platinum Stars and Manica Diamonds in Zimbabwe, Jaure aired his frustrations on the sidelines of a glamorous Dynamos pre-season launch in Harare on Thursday.
“We have been in the Warriors CHAN camp recently and also we have been working very hard at the club from the beginning of the year. We had been preparing for the season as well as the CHAN competition and suddenly everything is suspended because of the coronavirus,” Jaure said.
“It’s very disappointing because everyone was ready and looking forward to the season. “It’s a setback because we were now physically and mentally geared up for the start of the season.
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“Because everything has been suspended indefinitely, we don’t know how to apply ourselves in training now. I hope they find a cure soon so that we get to play football.”
The Warriors defender was part of the all-conquering Dynamos team that won four consecutive titles under Kallisto Pasuwa between 2011 and 2014.
He revealed that he never stopped supporting DeMbare despite spending six years away from the club and also expressing delight at making his return.
“I am happy that I am back at the club after a long time. This is where I grew up; they even sent me to school, so this is my home. “With the nature of our job you have to leave and look for greener pastures, but I never stopped supporting this club. I would always try to find out how they played and when they lost I would feel the pain as well,” he said.
While he may have to wait a little longer to don the Dynamos blue and white stripe in the league, Jaure has high hopes in the star-studded squad that has been assembled for the new season.
“We have a good team that boasts of experience and very talented youthful players. And if we combine well and then add the influence our supporters who are the 12th man, then we are going to achieve great things,” said Jaure.
Dynamos have signed top players in the mould of Soccer Star of the Year finalist King Nadolo, Tinotenda Chiunye, Stephen Appiah, David Temwanjira, Juan Mutudza and Cameroonian Albert Eonde, to mention but a few.
While the quality at the club is clearly undeniable, it is interesting to note how the players would perform in front of the demanding Dynamos fans.
“We have Byron Madzokere and others who have played for the team before, so they know what it means to play in front of the Dynamos fans. I think we are all adjusting well because of the friendly games we have played so far in front of our fans. Most of the guys now have a picture that Dynamos fans are very demanding and that they have to work harder,” Jaure said.
“The morale is high in the camp because everyone wants to play for Dynamos. There is fierce competition for starting places in the squad when the season starts, so everyone is working hard.”
