Tadious Manyepo, Sports Reporter
ZIMBABWEANS in South Africa will get a rare chance to witness the country’s biggest team – Dynamos – in action in the CAF Confederation Cup after the Glamour Boys picked Orlando Stadium in Johannesburg as their adopted home for the continental adventure.
DeMbare will represent the country in the second-tier African inter-club competition after winning the Chibuku Super Cup last year.
They will be playing continental football for the first time in more than a decade having last participated in the CAF Champions League in 2014.
But the Glamour Boys will have to adjust to life in an adopted home as the country currently does not have any facility that is certified fit by the Confederation of African Football to be fit to host any international games.
Reigning Premiership kings Ngezi Platinum Stars also face the same predicament as Dynamos when they take their CAF Champions League bow.
There are also strong indications that Ngezi, who will face Democratic Republic of Congo opposition in the Champions League preliminary round, will also most likely settle for a South African venue for their games.
The Mhondoro miners have however, kept a tight lid so far on their choice of adopted home ground.
But Dynamos have made their decision and yesterday the Harare giants confirmed that they have since communicated their position to ZIFA.
ZIFA are now reportedly working with the South African Football Association counterparts to assist Dynamos with making the necessary arrangements to host Zambian outfit ZESCO at the same venue where Zimbabwe’s Warriors staged their World Cup qualifier against Lesotho last month.
Coach Genesis Mangombe and his troops will be the home side in the first leg with both matches scheduled for between August 17 and August 24.
It was not immediately clear by yesterday whether ZESCO will host DeMbare at the Heroes Stadium in Lusaka or Levy Mwanawasa stadium in Ndola.
ZESCO, however, ordinarily play their home games at the National Heroes Stadium but they can opt to host DeMbare at the Levy Mwanawasa depending on their preferences.
Both the Zambians facilities are approved by CAF.
Dynamos executive chairman Moses Maunganidze confirmed yesterday that they had settled for Orlando Stadium.
“Orlando Stadium will be advantageous to us as Dynamos. We know there are a lot of Zimbabweans who love to watch Dynamos in action who are based in South Africa,’’ Maunganidze said.
“We have communicated with our parent body ZIFA who are now doing the logistics.
“Given that we will be hosting ZESCO on a weekend, we hope to see thousands of Zimbabweans based in South Africa making their way to watch us play.
“We will feel very much at home if we create the right vibe for the matchday, especially against ZESCO.”
Maunganidze also revealed that Dynamos could have easily settled for the National Heroes Stadium in Zambia had they not been paired against Zambian opposition in the preliminary eliminator.
He also hinted at using the FNB stadium in Johannesburg, venue of the 2010 World Cup final if all their earmarked stadiums, are not available.
“We are saying our first preference is the Orlando Stadium and that is top of our list.
“But if we had not been lined-up against a Zambian team, who knows, we could have settled for the National Heroes Stadium in Lusaka since the Zambian capital is geographically closer to Harare than any other capital in the SADC region,” he said.
“Still as a contingent measure, we have slotted in both approved stadiums in Zambia that is the National Heroes Stadium and Levy Mwanawasa Stadium as well as one stadium each in Botswana and Mozambique that is if we fail to secure Orlando Stadium or FNB Stadium.”
Depending on what would have transpired at the Soweto arena, Dynamos will likely continue using the same facility in their campaign if they eliminate ZESCO.
Should they successfully secure Orlando Stadium, Dynamos will mark the second time that a team from this country would have played their home fixture at the arena inside two months, the Warriors having hosted Lesotho in a 2026 World Cup qualifier at the same ground on June 7.
That mid-week game, however, didn’t attract the expected full house at Orlando.
But Dynamos will be hoping to capitalise on the fact that their encounter is on a weekend and should therefore attract a bigger crowd than that witnessed during the Warriors match.
Both Dynamos and Ngezi Platinum should confirm their homes for the preliminary round with CAF this weekend.
Ngezi Platinum will be the home team first to DR Congo’s Maniema before they travel to the populous province in the central African country for the return tie a week later.
