Dynamos FC Faces Unprecedented Crisis as Fans Demand Bernard Marriott’s Resignation

Dynamos Football Club, one of Zimbabwe’s most iconic football institutions, is currently grappling with an unprecedented crisis. Furious fans are increasingly calling for the resignation of club owner Bernard Marriott, accusing him of mismanaging the club and leading it toward collapse. The unrest follows years of legal battles, with multiple court rulings affirming Marriott’s claim as the rightful owner of Dynamos, despite longstanding contentions that the club was traditionally managed by a collective of stakeholders.

With the club struggling both on and off the field, many supporters are questioning Marriott’s ability to lead Dynamos through these turbulent times. Marriott, visibly overwhelmed by the growing pressure, has failed to inspire confidence, and fans fear the club is on the brink of total collapse under his leadership.

The rising anger among the fanbase culminated in protests outside Rufaro Stadium following Dynamos’ 1-0 loss to Chicken Inn on Sunday. During the protests, fans chanted vehemently against Marriott and his executive team. While some supporters have also criticized head coach Lloyd Chigowe for the team’s poor performance, the main focus of the protests has been Marriott’s leadership and his management of the club.

“Dynamos was never a one-man property, it’s ours, it belonged to us,” said one frustrated fan. “Marriott manipulated the system to take control, and now he’s running the club into the ground.” Despite these protests, the courts have consistently upheld Marriott’s ownership, reaffirming his control over the club. This legal ruling has done little to ease the growing discontent among fans.

The discontent has been further fueled by Marriott’s support of an executive team that many view as incompetent. The new administration has struggled to secure basic resources for the team and has been criticized for neglecting the welfare of the club’s workers. Head coach Lloyd Chigowe has reportedly had to rely on personal relationships with some players to recruit them for the new season, exposing a deeper dysfunction within the club’s hierarchy.

The team’s poor start to the season has only served to highlight the extent of the club’s internal challenges. Once a powerhouse in Zimbabwean football, Dynamos now faces the very real prospect of relegation to the lower divisions if changes are not made soon.

“Dynamos is in freefall,” said a former club official, who requested anonymity. “Marriott doesn’t have the energy or the strategy to fix this. The fans are right, this is no longer the Dynamos we knew.”

As the pressure intensifies, with protests growing in number and the team’s performance worsening, there are reports of new legal challenges to Marriott’s ownership. A coalition of former stakeholders is said to be exploring ways to contest Marriott’s control, arguing that the club’s original ownership structure should be restored to ensure better governance and accountability.

However, any legal challenge faces significant obstacles. Marriott remains the sole remaining shareholder, as all the original co-founders of Dynamos have passed away, leaving him in control with no clear alternative leadership structure.

As the crisis deepens, the future of Dynamos FC remains uncertain. The club, once a symbol of Zimbabwean football pride, now finds itself in danger of imploding. The actions of Marriott, his executive team, and the club’s stakeholders in the coming months will determine whether Dynamos can weather this storm or if the historic institution will be irreparably damaged. The growing protests and calls for change may ultimately force Marriott to make tough decisions, but whether those decisions will be enough to save the club remains to be seen.