The rise of the giants of Zimbabwe football

For years Dynamos FC have been the mainstay of Zimbabwean football. They are the most successful club and with their millions of supporters, they are the most popular of all the teams in the Zimbabwean league. For the past few years Dynamos football club had been playing second best to Highlanders FC, the former champions from the southern town of Bulawayo. 2007 saw the rise to the top by the fallen Harare giants and they won the domestic league and cup double. Their main rivals and city neighbours CAPS have hit hard times.

All the good and the bad of Zimbabwe football can be found at Dynamos FC. From the highly talented footballer to the most corrupt football administrators.

Being a community team formed out of Harare ghettos, Dynamos had a never ending supply of talent from the suburbs. It was a dream of every kid to play for them and follow the steps of great players like, Moses Chunga, George Shaya, David Mandigora, Tauya Mrewa and many other former players.

With all the great players, the club had a legacy of supplying the bulk of the best players to the Zimbabwe warriors (national team).
Dynamos is known to set the standard of good football, hence they are always the team to beat. There is a big rivalry between Dynamos and their smaller city neighbours CAPS FC, the big rivalry has seen many clashes between the two sets of supporters over the years. There is always pressure for the team to win and sometimes their supporters do not know how to deal with losing games and resort to violence.

As a community team, formed out of the ghetto with no major owner, the team relies on corporate sponsorship. Dynamos is a cash cow in Zimbabwe football. They generate the most revenue due to their large support base.
The perennial leadership wrangles at the club do not help the image of the club. There are reports of corruption and mismanagement every year at the club. Different factions fighting for the control of this big cash machine. Even ticket sellers know it’s a big pay day if Dynamos is playing. There have been many cases of money being stolen through ticket sales, fake tickets have also been a common occurrence when Dynamos is involved. It seems everyone is after a piece of this big cake.

In some cases some have used the club to further their own political ambitions, taking advantage of the clubs huge support base.

Player unrest is another problem at Dynamos, corrupt management officials help themselves to the team’s money without much concern for the players.

Supporters of other teams may not agree but Dynamos do set the standard in Zimbabwe football. They are the most supported team and generate the most revenue. Wish them luck in their next African Champions league adventures.