‘We’re the Special Ones’
◆ successfully. We were DeMbare. The Chosen Team. The Special Ones. Anointed by the gods of football to reign supreme over other mortal teams that made the numbers in the Zimbabwean Premier Football League.
“In the end, we were too good that season to the extent of winning the league by a massive 11 points ahead of the second-placed CAPS United.”
Interestingly, Mugabe — who played a very influential role in helping CAPS United end 17 years of waiting for a league title when they were crowned champions in 1996 — reveals in the same book that he could have been lost to the Green Machine just a year before they reached the Promised Land.
“To the CAPS United family, Dynamos FC was the ultimate enemy and losing to them was not acceptable at all,’’ Mugabe says in the same book.
“There is no other player in the eyes of the CAPS United fans who personified the rivalry between the two teams than Memory Mucherahowa. Being the captain of CAPS United — the ultimate enemy in the eyes of Dynamos FC fans — I was the embodiment of what CAPS United stood for.
“Likewise, Mucherahowa was equally hated and respected in equal measure by CAPS United fans. However, as players, we were very close. He was the first person I contacted when I intended to join Dynamos in 1995. I was having problems at CAPS United.
“CAPS United had just changed an executive with Shepherd Bwanya and Wellington Dangarembizi coming in. I was not sure of my position within the club. Besides, I wanted to play in the CAF Champions League. I talked to Mucherahowa with the view of joining Dynamos FC.
“Mucherahowa was very positive about the move. I was supposed to join the club at the same time with Lloyd Mutasa, but the Sifelani-executive was not professional enough to offer me a contract.
“They just wanted me to play and this is something that I had never wanted during my career. I always wanted something in writing, I explained this to Mucherahowa and ended up extending my contract at CAPS United.
“Though the deal failed to materialise, I have no regrets that I did not join Dynamos because we ended up winning the Championship in 1996 and also played in the CAF Champions League. During the Champions League games, I always consulted Mucherahowa because of the experience he had with Dynamos.’’ ◆ Tomorrow, Mucherahowa runs the rule on Sunday Chidzambwa, what an explosive analysis, don’t miss your copy of The Saturday Herald.