BY MUNYARADZI MADZOKERE
FOOTBALL giants Dynamos’ bid to make money from the sale of replica jerseys has suffered a false start with business at a standstill amid the Covid-19 pandemic onslaught.
The Harare giants introduced their first batch of official club merchandise into the market in May in spite of the fact that the country was under lockdown.
Selling points include the Dynamos offices, Better Ball and Aerial Sports while executive members are also pushing the products.
“Business is not as brisk as we expected it to be due to the Covid-19 situation prevailing in the country. We understand that our fans do not have money at the moment and are struggling to make ends meet,” Dynamos chairman Isaiah Mupfurutsa told Standardsport in an interview last week.
“People cannot buy replica jerseys when there is no food. Football is on lockdown at the moment, but imagine if football was being played, our merchandise would be selling like hot cakes and that time is going to come.”
Over the years the club has missed out on revenue that can be generated from the sale of its merchandise.
However, the Dynamos replica jersey, which is being sold for US$10, has been an object of ridicule in some sections of social media because of how it looks as well as the quality.
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But it is the least of DeMbare’s worries at the moment.
“This is only the beginning and there is a lot of club merchandise, which we are going to introduce going forward. What is important is that we have started this initiative and we are going to make sure it grows.
“What we understand is that club merchandise is bought by fans especially when the games are on. We are going to make sure that it will be available when football finally resumes,” Mupfurutsa said.
Dynamos are also reportedly embarking on a legal process to make sure that those that sell club merchandise without a licence will be prosecuted.
There are no dates as yet for the resumption of league football in the country, but Zifa has expressed interest to have activities resume in September.
