Influential midfielder Milton Makopa will not take part in Dynamos’ Caf Champions League second round first leg football encounter against Espérance due to suspension despite leaving for Tunisia with the rest of the squad yesterday.
Dynamos were only notified of Makopa’s suspension late yesterday after the team had already departed for the crucial assignment and the development is likely to throw coach Calisto Pasuwa’s plans into disarray.
Dynamos secretary-general Raymond Kazembe confirmed receiving the letter, but said he was disappointed by Caf’s late notification.
“Yes, according to a letter we have just received from Caf, Milton Makopa is suspended for the match against Espérance. The letter does not state the reason for the suspension, but we can only assume it’s because of the number of yellow cards he has received. We are disappointed with the late notification because the letter came well after the team had left. We cannot blame Zifa on this one because it’s Caf who sent the letter late,” said Kazembe.
Pasuwa will aim to avoid conceding an early goal by taking a cautious approach to their encounter against reigning African club football champions Espérance at the Olympique de Rades Stadium in Tunis on Saturday.
Pasuwa revealed this during a Press conference organised by the club’s sponsor, BancABC, at Harare International Airport where the club’s skipper George Magariro and striker Takesure Chinyama were also in attendance.
“We are going away to a lions’ den. We know Espérance are the African champions and we will approach the game cautiously. In the first 45 minutes we will have to be cautious, which means playing with a congested midfield and a lone striker before opening up in the second half,” he said.
While admitting the need for his charges to be cautious in their approach, the former Warriors midfielder said he had been telling his players that Espérance could be beaten.
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“I have been telling the boys that we are playing the African champions, but we can beat them in their backyard and it can be done.”
“In African football when you are playing away from home there is a tendency of bad refereeing, so the fact that they will be coming here for the second leg will make it better for us,” he said.
Pasuwa has been sweating over the fitness of midfielders Milton Makopa and Devon Chafa, goalkeeper Washington Arubi and striker Takesure Chinyama.
“We have Milton Makopa who has a groin injury and Devon Chafa has a knee injury. Washington Arubi and Takesure Chinyama also have minor knocks and after talking to the team doctors they have assured us that by Thursday (tomorrow) they will be alright. They rest of the guys are 100% fit. “Should they not recover in time, we have utility players in the team. For example, guys like Timire Mamvura and Denver Mukamba can play even in central defence and Murape Murape also has the experience and not leaving out young Partson Jaure who can also play as a defensive midfielder,” said Pasuwa.
The Dynamos gaffer paid tribute to the club’s sponsor for making sure that all the logistics were done on time, saying this had been one of their most organised campaigns in living memory.
“I have taken part in the Champions League with Dynamos in the past and I must say this has been the best arranged campaign so far in my career both as a coach and a player. We will arrive in Tunisia three days before the game which will give us enough time to acclimatise,” said Pasuwa.
Chinyama, who has been banging goals at will in both league and cup games, said although he didn’t know much about the Tunisian giants, he was ready for the challenge.
“It’s a big game, they are the champions of Tunisia and we are the Zimbabwean champions. We will respect them off the field as they are the African champions, but on the field we won’t show them too much respect.
“I won’t put myself under pressure to score goals on my own because we play as a team. We want to come back with a good result for our fans and for the nation,” said Chinyama.
The Dynamos contingent left for South Africa yesterday in two batches with the first batch departing around lunchtime while the second batch was expected to leave later in the day.
The two groups were expected to connect to Dubai first before catching another flight to Tunis as a single group where they are expected to touch down today.
Dynamos beat Liga Muçulmana of Mozambique 3-2 on aggregate while Espérance progressed courtesy of a 4-2 aggregate triumph over Gambian side Brikama United.
The Tunisian giants have been closely monitoring Dynamos’ progress over the last couple of weeks, judging by the amount of information about the Harare giants on their website www.e-s-tunis.com.
