A year for the underdogs

The performance by little known clubs Gunners, Lengthens and even Shooting Stars has already shaken Zimbabwean football to its foundations even though there are still a number of games to play before the curtain comes down on the Zimbabwean soccer calendar.

That the trio are in a shouting distance in the battle for the coveted league title and the right to represent the country in the African Club competitions next year, is a clear signal that the balance of power in the Zimbabwean game has been turned on its head.

Harare giants Dynamos might have bucked the trend by leading on the log standings at this delicate stage of the season, but other traditional big guns of domestic football- Highlanders and CAPS United lick their wounds as they struggle in the league race.

With the season already past the half way mark, it remains to be seen whether they will bounce back for contention.

Dynamos are perched at the summit of the league table with 39 points from 18 games but Gunners, under the guidance of Moses “Bambo” Chunga are just behind with an incredible 37 points from 19 games.

Gunners collected maximum points after beating CAPS United 2-1 at Gwanzura on Sunday in a league match which has a bearing on the destiny of the championship.

Lengthens are also very much in the equation as they are on third position with 32 points from 19 games.

Even Shooting Stars under the tutelage of youthful coaches Lloyd Mutasa and Calisto Pasuwa also have a say in the destiny of the league title. They are on fifth position with 27 points the same number as CAPS United who are on fourth position because of a superior goal difference.

Highlanders, who, in recent years seemed to believe it was their divine right to win the league title and represent the country in continental club competitions, are finding the going tough in this campaign.

They are a distant sixth on the log standings with 27 points from 19 games – a far cry from Gunners and Lengthens who are on second and third position respectively.

Last year it was minnows Monomotapa then under the guidance of Norman Mapeza who went to the winners podium at the end of the season after putting up a performance which stunned watchers of the local game.

This year they are enjoying their place in the sun as they are playing in the prestigious African Champions League.

“It’s Zimbabwe’s football revolution. Now smaller teams are showing they have what it takes to reach The Promised Land. This year it appears we are going to have other small teams taking part in Africa’s club competitions. The good thing is that the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has acknowledged that we have talent in Zimbabwe. Our league is now one of the 12 best in the continent,” remarked soccer fan Learnmore Mbwera.

Zimbabwe has been given two extra slots in the African Champions League and CAF Confederations Cup next year following the performance by local teams in continental club competitions over the past five years.

Last year Dynamos reached the semi-finals of the premier tournament and this year Monomotapa have claimed the scalps of some the continents football powerhouses like Tunisia giants Etoile du Sahel and Asec Mimosa of Ivory Coast. They are now playing in the lucrative group stage of the competition.

Over the years only the league champions and the premier cup winners got tickets to play in Africa but next year, league winners and their runners-up play in the Champions League with the third-placed team fighting in the Confederations Cup.

The premier knock-out cup winners will also feature in the Confederations Cup.