DYNAMOS are still battling to secure sponsorship for their 2014 African Champions League as they host Botswana’s Mochudi Centre Chiefs at the National Sports Stadium on February 8.
TAWANDA TAFIRENYIKA SPORTS CORRESPONDENT
They are set to travel to Botswana two weeks later for the return leg.
The Harare giants’ principal sponsor BancABC have already advised them they will not be able to bankroll their Champions League campaign this season although they would continue to pay their salaries and supply kits.
They need more than $1 million if they are to reach the final of the inter-continental club competition with the six preliminary and round matches to qualify for the group stages chewing $400 000.
Dynamos chairperson Keni Mubaiwa confirmed at the weekend they were still to tie down a sponsor to enable the team to participate in the prestigious tournament.
“We are still to secure sponsorship for the African Champions League. We are still hoping to get a sponsor for the tournament, but time is running out for us. We are facing a big challenge,” Mubaiwa said.
Coach Kalisto Pasuwa, is still in South Africa for the African Nations Championship (Chan), and chances are that he might not have even a week of training his club before the clash against Chiefs.
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If the Warriors reach the final as is highly likely, Pasuwa will be faced with a huge challenge to pick his final team as he has not trained with them since the national team went into camp for the Chan finals.
The team has been training under assistant coaches Philemon Mutyakureva, Tichaona Diya and team manager Richard Chihoro.
They have also been assisted by former coach David Mandigora, who is now the club’s vice-chairman.
Chihoro, however, said they were always in touch with Pasuwa and were following the programme he gave them for training.
“I don’t think it will be a problem for Pasuwa to pick the final team because we are following the programme he gave us. Some of our players are also in South Africa and the Warriors are also using the same programme of training like we have here. So it won’t be a problem for Pasuwa. Within a week he will be able to come up with his final team,” said Chihoro.
DeMbare will be returning to the African jungle this year hoping to turn around fortunes following disappointing performances in the last three seasons where they failed to reach the lucrative mini-league phase.
They failed to go beyond the second round in their last three campaigns in 2011, 2012 and 2013 despite continuing with their dominance in the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League. They, however, remain the most successful Zimbabwean team after reaching the final in 1998 before losing to ASEC Mimosas in controversial circumstances under the guidance of Sunday Chidzambwa.
The Harare giants reached the semi-finals in 2008 and also managed to get to the mini-league stages in 1999 and in 2010.
