DeMbare feels the FIFA ban pinch

By Geronimo News

Harare giants Dynamos were barred from travelling to Malawi for a pre-season tournament due to the FIFA international ban on Zimbabwe.

Tourney organisers Nyasa Big Bullets had invited DeMbare and Mozambique’s UD Songo as well as local rivals Mighty Mukuru Wanderers to make up for the 4-team event which was penciled for Blantyre.

However, the Football Association of Malawi (FAM) turned down the request by the People’s Team to host the invitational fiesta owing to Zimbabwe’s status quo on the international football scene.

“We cannot grant Bullets the license because of the inclusion of Zimbabwe team Dynamos. The FIFA ban applies to all national teams and local clubs. It even applies to school teams. That is why Zimbabwe teams cannot participate in club competitions,” FAM Competitions Director Gomezgani Zakazaka told Malawian newspaper The Nation.

The Glamour Boys could have been the second team from the country to participate at the invitational tournament after Chicken Inn who won the inaugural edition of the competition in 2020.

Had things been normal in the Zimbabwean football ecosystem, the tournament was going to be beneficial especially for the newly appointed Dynamos coach Herbert Maruwa who is working towards building a strong Blue Army that can compete for the title.

Maruwa, who has brought a number of new faces into the fold, will be under pressure to deliver at the Glamour Boys hence the need for some serious competitive action to enable him perfectly knit his squad for the new campaign.

Dynamos finished third last season.