DYNAMOS’ promising Caf Champions League football campaign could go off the rails after they lost another player last week.
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Dynamos progressed to the first round of the competition after a 4-1 aggregate win over Mochudi Centre Chiefs of Botswana last weekend. However, their campaign could be wrecked as players who were registered for the competition, continue to desert the club.
Of the 26 players that were registered, defender Gift Bello has already left for FC Platinum.
Club coach Kalisto Pasuwa on Sunday night confirmed that midfielder Boban Ziruntusa Bogere had also left.
Pasuwa said the Ugandan international left the country last week after failing to agree on a new contract with Dynamos and is reportedly in Belgium.
With midfielder Devon Chafa still frozen out due to a Fifa ban, it means Pasuwa has 23 players to work with at the moment.
The situation could deteriorate further if they qualify for the mini-league phase if goalkeeper George Chigova and defender Patson Jaure move to the South African Premiership in June.
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Chigova is wanted by SuperSport while Jaure has attracted the interest of Orlando Pirates.
Some reports have also linked Chigova to Belgium and a source yesterday revealed that SuperSport want to buy the big goalie and sell him to the European country.
Another player expected to leave is Ocean Mushure, who is linked with a move to Sudan, also in June. It is believed former Dynamos ace Edward Sadomba is orchestrating the deal.
It looks like Pasuwa is already preparing for life after Mushure, benching him in the last two Champions League matches for Augustine Mbara.
Meanwhile, Dynamos will continue to use the National Sports Stadium as they start preparations for their first round African Champions League back-to-back clashes against AS Vita of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The first leg is scheduled for Sunday March 2 with the second leg in Kinshasa the following weekend.
The Zimbabwean champions had been using Rufaro as their home ground, but decided to switch to the National Sports Stadium citing high charges by the city council which owns the stadium, as well as the upsurge of hooliganism.
Dynamos had to travel to Botswana for their second leg of the African Champions League preliminary round against Mochudi Centre Chiefs by road over a 1 069km journey due to lack of funding.
Their principal sponsors BancABC advised them they would not be able to bankroll their Champions League campaign this year and would only limit their sponsorship to the domestic league.
The Dynamos hierarchy has been running around to secure sponsorship for the team’s Champions League campaign, but to no avail.
Club secretary Webster Chikengezha, however, maintained they would soldier on with or without sponsorship as they face a long trip to the DRC.
“We are still to get sponsorship for our Champions League campaign, but we will go to the DRC with or without sponsorship. We will find means to go to the DRC,” said Chikengezha.
