BY TAWANDA TAFIRENYIKA DYNAMOS’ decision to snatch highly-rated defender Brendon Mpofu from Caps United could escalate the rivalry between the two Premier Soccer League giants.
DeMbare gazumped the Green Machine, who were locked in negotiations with the leftback.
While there has been bad blood between the two sides, the departure of Mpofu to Dynamos has not been well received by the Green Machine who had him in their plans for the season in their bid to chase the championship dream which has stubbornly eluded them over the years.
Despite the return of top defender Dennis Dauda, who is in contract talks with the Green Machine, the bitterness and pain of losing Mpofu to their rivals has not been abated.
The issue could cause tension when the two teams first clash in the Big Harare Derby.
Caps United, it appears, will never forgive Dynamos for snatching their most prized possession.
DeMbare probably got their revenge after Caps United robbed them of Cephas Chimedza back in 2003.
Dynamos, lurking from a distance, pounced on the slightest opportunity following the expiry of Mpofu’s contract. Caps United president Farai Jere told NewsDay Sport that they were bitter over losing Mpofu to their rivals especially after they had planned to retain him for this campaign.
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Jere spoke glowingly about the star defender, adding that he was the only player they are missing. He said this in the context of several players who left to join other clubs.
“Of all the players you guys say departed the club, we miss Brendon Mpofu. As for the others, they were not in the coach’s plans. We are bitter to lose him to Dynamos. He was a top defender and we will sorely miss him as Caps because we had just started negotiations with him,” he said.
Mpofu, who started his football career at Division One side Ndlovu Iyanyathela between 2016 and 2018 before joining Bulawayo Chiefs in 2019, is regarded as one of the most promising defenders in the country.
The incident is a throw back to what happened in South Africa between Kaizer Chiefs and Mamelodi Sundowns in 2004 after Peter Ndlovu had been flown all the way from the United Kingdom by Kaizer Chiefs and booked into a five-star hotel while negotiations for a contract were in progress.
Then Sundowns, also keen on the former Warriors captain, went behind their back and snatched him, offering a lucrative contract that saw him being the highest paid player in South Africa.
Since then, they don’t see eye to eye, although there had already been bad blood between them.
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