DYNAMOS say their move to abandon Rufaro Stadium, their traditional homeground and switch to the National Sports Stadium, is because of the upsurge of hooliganism which continues to strain their budget.
BY TAWANDA TAFIRENYIKA SPORTS CORRESPONDENT
Although Dynamos have cited other reasons like injuries to their players due to the poor maintenance of the artificial turf, the Glamour Boys say violence perpetrated by their overzealous supporters cost them a fortune, especially last season.
Dynamos chairman Keni Mubaiwa said while they took the decision to move away from Rufaro because of the high charges by the Harare City Council which charges 20% for use, hooliganism was the major reason for their switch to the NSS.
“After careful consideration, we decided to move to the National Sports Stadium because hooliganism has been costing us a lot. If you look at last season, we won the league title, but all the prize money went to the PSL to pay for various fines as a result of violence perpetrated by our supporters. We have tried to engage them not to be violent, but it continues to affect the club financially because there is always violence whenever we play at Rufaro. So we have taken a decision to play our home matches at the National Sports Stadium. The government will also be charging us 15% for the use of the stadium. That means a difference of 5% which is a lot to us,” Mubaiwa said.
The Harare giants have also condemned the artificial turf at Rufaro, arguing it has become unplayable and causing a lot of injuries to their players. Dynamos coach Kalisto Pasuwa has raised concern over the injuries to his players to the club’s executive.
Last season, Dynamos lost their $70 000 prize money for winning the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League title after the PSL demanded a total of $78 700 in fines ranging from pitch invasion and missile-throwing.
The Glamour Boys lifted the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League title for the third successive year after beating Highlanders and Harare City to the finishing line on goal difference in one of the most intriguing conclusions to the history of the domestic league campaign.
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For winning the ultimate prize of domestic football, Dynamos were set to pocket $70 000 in prize money from Delta Beverages who sponsor the league through their Castle Lager brand.
But the champions paid dearly for the behaviour of their fans which saw them slapped with a $78 700 fine.
The fines left the champions with a deficit of $8 700.
