A GROUP of Dynamos supporters have launched a campaign to discourage other fans to boycott the club’s home matches beginning with this Sunday’s big Harare derby against Caps United in a bid to put pressure on the club’s owner Bernard Marriott and his executive.
DeMbare supporters have been vocal about their frustration towards the club, which has failed to win the league title since 2014.
The Harare giants have started the current season horribly, as they languish in the relegation zone, on position 16th after 11 rounds of matches.
A run of one win, five draws and five defeats have since cost Lloyd Chigowe his coaching post at the club.
Saul Chaminuka, fired at Kwekwe United last week, has been roped in to take charge of the team.
The club was expected to announce the new technical team set-up yesterday.
Supporters are criticising Mariot and his executive led by Moses Maunganidze for a lack of investment in the team, which has seen them losing their best players to competitors every year.
The fading Harare giants lost more than a dozen key players in the last player transfer window, forcing Chigowe to hold trials to replenish the squad.
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Attendance figures at Dynamos matches have drastically decreased over the last few seasons, something that has mainly been blamed on the team’s poor performances.
Now a group of supporters calling themselves, the Dynamos FC Supporters Association — Harare Chapter, have called for a total boycott of all the team’s home matches to show their displeasure at the alleged “mismanagement of the club and poor governance” by the leadership, which they say had turned the once mighty club into a laughing stock.
A letter by the group was trending on the social media yesterday.
“As the Dynamos Football Club Supporters Association Harare Chapter, the mother of all chapters, having noted for years on end, the manner in which the club has been on a downward spiral have come to the unbearable conclusion to call on all our members and other blue and white faithful to peacefully boycott all Dynamos home matches until further notice,” part of the letter read.
“We have been monitoring the goings on at the club, to give reference to the not so recent past of 11 years since our last league championship victory and feel hard done by the manner and conduct in which our beloved Glamour Boys have turned out to be a team that has carelessly lost its pride and glitz.”
The supporters are not happy with the chopping and changing of coaches, which they say has failed to bring the desired results.
At least 11 coaching appointments and reappointments have been made since Mariot took over ownership of the club some 10 years ago.
“Many coaches, qualified and capable have been chopped and changed year in and out but the script have embarrassingly remained the same,” the supporters said.
“Our problems stem beyond the technical set-up and they (Marriot and his executive) ought to make sound and well informed decisions.
“It has always been our hope the club shares a vision that sees our Dembare scale to the heights of other giants in Africa.
“The board (Marriot) and current executive have dismally failed to lead us in that direction and we have lost all our confidence in the entire set-up.”
The supporters said the executive had failed, among other things, to attract and retain sponsorship and engage in sound marketing strategies which they say had resulted in the club failing to either retain key personnel or tie down players to long-term contracts.
“Over the years, we have learnt with dismay of players owed signing-on fees, a failure to allow continuity by implementing a vibrant junior policy with players graduating into the senior setup, a lack of sound sponsorship and a failure by the executive to engage in sound marketing strategies that push the Dynamos brand to be at par with their regional counterparts like Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs.”
The planned boycott is similar to that of Highlanders, whose supporters last season refrained from attending the last few home matches at Barbourfields Stadium in protest against the Premier Soccer League.
Matchday 12 fixtures
Saturday: FC Platinum v Bikita Minerals (Mandava), TelOne v Yadah (Ascot), ZPC Kariba v Highlanders (Nyamhunga), Herentals v Ngezi Platinum Stars (Rufaro), Simba Bhora v Triangle (Wadzanayi), Manica Diamonds v Scottland (Sakubva), Chicken Inn v GreenFuel (Luveve), Mwos v Kwekwe United (Ngoni).
Sunday: Dynamos v Caps United (Rufaro)
