Dynamos Football Club, has announced their withdrawal from the Mayor’s Charity Cup match against CAPS United. The match was originally scheduled for Sunday, February 11th. The decision was confirmed by Dynamos chairman Moses Maunganidze in an interview with New Zimbabwe.com.
Maunganidze explained that the main reason for their withdrawal is the non-homologation of Rufaro stadium, where the match was supposed to take place. He stated that the club had not received any information regarding the stadium’s homologation status. With the team being in the peak phase of their pre-season preparations, the uncertainty around the availability of the venue for the next four days became a constraint.
Given these circumstances, Dynamos informed the Mayor’s office that they would be unable to participate in the Cup game. Maunganidze emphasized that the club’s priority is their pre-season preparations, and they can’t afford to be kept on hold due to the uncertainty surrounding the stadium.
The Mayor’s Charity Cup match was expected to mark the re-opening of Rufaro stadium, which has not hosted a top-flight league football match since 2019.
Attempts to seek a comment from Harare Mayor Jacob Mafume were unsuccessful as calls went unanswered.Dynamos, however, did reveal their plans to arrange a friendly match with another team, MWOS, from the Northern Region division one, scheduled for Saturday. This match will allow Dynamos to conclude their preparations ahead of their upcoming match against Ngezi Platinum Stars next week.
Maunganidze further mentioned, “We are going to play MWOS in Norton on Saturday so that we wind up our preparations before we face Ngezi Platinum Stars next week.”
Dynamos is set to commence their 2024 season campaign on February 17th with a Castle Challenge Cup match against Ngezi Platinum Stars. The Cup is an annual fixture played between the previous season’s league champions and the reigning Chibuku Super Cup winners, serving as a curtain-raiser for the league season. The match will take place at Baobab Stadium in Mhondoro.
