‘Chopper’ targets perfect season
WILMORE “Chopper” Chimbetu has been an unfortunate lot over the past two seasons.
He was closer to joining FC Platinum in 2022, a move that could have afforded him an opportunity to win his maiden league title.
But the proposed loan deal from Herentals fell through. He would remain with the Students, playing limited roles and he hardly made any impact for the Students.
Chimbetu then sealed a one-year loan deal with Dynamos last season but again all didn’t go well as the Glamour Boys struggled to get him registered as their player on the modern online platform for the better part of the opening half of the marathon.
When the registration finally went through, the Dynamos technical team couldn’t afford to tinker with their team and Chimbetu could only feature in bit-part roles.
With just one year remaining on his contract with Herentals, the defender, who is also comfortable playing in midfield and strike force, asked out of the Students.
His wish has been granted and he has penned a two-year deal with Dynamos.
And he is looking forward to asserting himself in the Glamour Boys system now that he doesn’t have to worry about the disturbances he encountered in the past two seasons.
“I can’t express how I am feeling to be part of Dynamos on a permanent basis. It is something that I have always wished to be. Last season, I was there but didn’t get to really enjoy it given that I encountered challenges in my registration.
“It was really frustrating to sit on the sidelines while others were doing the work. I love the game and being out due to such unfortunate situations is really disappointing,” said Chimbetu.
“But it is part of the game. I still managed to fit into the team and it was very amazing at the end as we won the Chibuku Super Cup and gave the eventual league title winners Ngezi Platinum some good run for their money. “I am really thankful to Herentals who gave me the opportunity and platform to play football. I am now playing for the biggest team in the country.
“I am looking forward to a fruitful season. The good thing is that I was with Dynamos last season and seeing most of the players who were here last year still around makes
life very easy for me.
“We are a team and we know our responsibility as a club. We are aware of the situation that we find ourselves in as players. We don’t want to earn a bad reputation. We know Dynamos have never gone for more than 10 years without winning the league in the club’s history. That means we have to work very hard to maintain that record.”
Dynamos coach Genesis “Kaka” Mangombe said Chimbetu’s availability will help his team’s standing.
“We always need depth. Chimbetu is that caliber of a player who can play anywhere and having him in the team is a huge positive,” said Mangombe.
“We have a good team that is capable of competing and we are very happy going into the new season.” Dynamos open their 2024 Premiership campaign with a date against Highlanders at Barbourfields on Sunday.