Langton Nyakwenda Zimpapers Sports Hub “DERBYMANIA is back”, blared the back page of The Herald on Tuesday July 24, 2007. The article was a review of a match that had been played on Sunday July 22, 2007. In that encounter, Edward Sadomba’s header had sealed a 1-0 win for Dynamos over CAPS United in front of what was described as the biggest domestic football crowd of the modern era. Officially, 31 998 fans paid to witness the 54th edition of the Harare Derby at Rufaro Stadium, although it was widely claimed that over 40 000 had jammed the Mbare venue, among them 10 000 forcing their way in. That contest remains the most attended Castle Lager Premier Soccer League match since the turn of the millennium. “It was always a great feeling playing at Rufaro,” Sadomba told Zimpapers Sports Hub this past week, reflecting on the energy that once electrified Zimbabwe’s flagship football fixture. “The crowd motivated us and we responded well on the pitch. When there is unity of purpose among key stakeholders, the players, the executive and the fans, everything falls into place.” Today, nearly 18 years on, the same derby faces the grim prospect of unfolding in front of a half-empty Rufaro Stadium, not because of pandemic restrictions, but because of a protest. Dynamos supporters, frustrated by the club’s poor performances and apparent executive disarray, are planning a mass boycott of this afternoon’s Harare Derby, in what could mark a historic low point for a once-celebrated fixture. The numbers have already been dwindling for years. In 2011, during Dynamos’ dominance under Kalisto Pasuwa, the first leg of the derby attracted 26 678 fans. In 2014, more than 20 000 turned up and by 2015, the figure had dropped to 12 100. Last year, just 10 934 watched the September meeting at the National Sports Stadium. The October reverse fixture at Rufaro drew even fewer fans. The falling numbers mirror Dynamos’ decline on the pitch — the Glamour Boys have not lifted the league title since 2014. They have now gone through three coaching changes in as many years under the stewardship of chairperson Moses Maunganidze. After 11 matches in the current campaign, they sit third from bottom, with just eight points and two goals to their name, one of them an own goal. It is against this bleak backdrop that newly appointed coach Saul Chaminuka will take charge of his first derby this afternoon. “All the best that there can be, we are going to try so that come Sunday we win and people start coming in anticipation for more matches that are played, matches that are won and they are excited,” Chaminuka said during his unveiling. The former ZPC Kariba coach inherits a squad short on confidence, goals and belief. His opposite number, Ian Bakala, arrived at CAPS United two weeks ago under similar challenging circumstances. He started his reign with a 1-1 draw against Herentals last weekend, which left Makepekepe just one point ahead of their city rivals in 13th position. While both clubs are gasping for relevance and revival, it is the off-field turmoil at Dynamos that threatens to overshadow everything today. “Our call to boycott is born out of deep frustration,” said Bernard Karikoga Vono, secretary-general of the Dynamos Supporters Harare Chapter. “We are fed up with what’s happening at the club. The team has not won the league in 11 years, and that decline has coincided with Bernard Marriot’s reign as board chairperson. We want a new executive with a proven track record.” Marriot, a polarising figure in DeMbare’s leadership matrix, was officially confirmed as the majority shareholder and board chairperson by the courts in recent years. But fans say their call is not about ownership, it is about accountability. “There are claims that supporters want to take control of the team. No. We don’t want Marriot’s team, we want results on the pitch,” said Vono. Fans are key stakeholders, but have been taken for granted. Coaches come and go, but the script hasn’t changed.” Vono urged Dynamos fans to vacate the Vietnam Stand, the traditional DeMbare stronghold, allowing CAPS United supporters to occupy the space as a symbolic statement of discontent. “Dynamos fans will watch the match on TV from wherever they are,” he said. The club’s national supporters’ executive has distanced itself from the boycott and is urging unity in what remains the club’s biggest game of the season. “It is important we all come in our numbers to attend all our matches, including the highly anticipated Harare Derby,” read a statement issued on Friday. But the online mood paints a different picture. When Dynamos posted a match-day call to arms on their official Facebook page Friday morning, the post attracted over 100 comments within 30 minutes, the majority of them angry and dismissive. “Boycotting is a good move for me. We are fed up. Marriot should dismiss the executive,” wrote one user. The fallout is as much about footballing failure as it is about fan alienation. Supporters feel they have poured their hearts and hard-earned cash into the club without return. The boycott, if it materialises, could strip this iconic derby of the last of its spectacle, the raw emotion, the bouncing stands and the unforgettable noise of the Rufaro cauldron. What remains then? A grudge match between two fading giants, overseen by two newly appointed coaches, cheered on, perhaps, by the few who still dare to dream. Back in 2007, veteran sports journalist Robson Sharuko described the Harare Derby as having “hit back in spectacular fashion”. This time, it risks vanishing without a sound. Whether today’s clash sparks a new era or sinks deeper into obscurity may depend less on the scoreboard, and more on whether the people, the fans, decide to come back.