CEC must take keen interest in Power Dynamos

ONE of the best sponsored football outfits in Zambia is no other than Kitwe giants Power Dynamos.

The 1991 continental cup winners’ underachievement pales the amount of financial support they enjoy from sponsors Copperbelt Energy Corporation (CEC).

Power has only won the league once in the last 20 years. Yet their financial muscle is not any much less than what the likes of Zanaco and Zesco United enjoy. The Arthur Davies Stadium outfit enjoys, by far, better sponsorship than their archrivals Nkana.

But Nkana, now struggling to stay in the Super Division, have posted more decent results than what has come from Power in the last decade. This perspective has nothing to do with the last meeting between the two sides. That’s just a one-off fixture.

The fact is Power has no justification to be a mid-table team. And it is important that if CEC value their investment in social service Power be one of those projects that receive a lot more attention that the case currently is.

The sacking of coach Perry Mutapa on Monday is just a tip of the iceberg. There’s more to events at Power than just getting rid of a coach and elevating an assistant in Masauso Tembo who himself was brought to Arthur Davies by Perry.

Of course, Perry is on the so called administrative leave. But we all know that is it for the former Chipolopolo midfielder. Is that the solution to Power’s woes? Certainly not. Power has changed coaches like socks in the last few years, but the result remains the same.

It therefore means there is some other way to reinvigorate the sleeping giant of yesteryears. And this must go beyond the coaching staff. The Power Dynamos Executive Committee should be called to answer for some of these failures at the club.

Like the supporters are demanding, they have an idea the problem is bigger than just Perry and the technical bench. Other than the disunity among Power Dynamos supporters, the club has struggled with finding the right people steer the ship.

The Power Dynamos executive is at the center of these failures. The player recruitment leaves much to be desired. When other teams are signing quality, Power is going for quantity.

Recruitment drives happening at Power such as when they signed players like Patrick Illongo, Biston Banda and George Chisala are not what a team of this magnitude should be settling for. The acrimonious departure of Larry Bwalya and Alex Ngo’nga is not something that can be placed on the coaching staff, alone.

How does an executive sign-off a player like Ng’onga to the club’s arch-rivals.
What value and prestige do these gentlemen and women attach to “Aba Yellow?” Again, this has nothing to do with the one off fixture, but the pride of Ndeke is Power overcoming Nkana. What a travesty!

It’s about time that CEC, as the team sponsors, holds its appointees to the club including chairman Bbenkele Haachitwe and the CEO Happie Munkondya or James Sakala accountable because they have not delivered on their mandate and can’t be in leadership in perpetuity.

The dictatorial tendency by these men in charge of the club such that when supporters voice out they are banned is unacceptable and can’t be allowed to continue. If these guys were not failing in their management of the club, they wouldn’t have gotten Perry Mutapa to drive the Power Dynamos revival project.

PDFC Coaches (1981 – 1991)

1.Fred Mwila
2.Alex Chola
3.Fred Mwila

PDFC Coaches (2011 – 2021)
1.Fordson Kabole
2.Beston Chambeshi
3.Tenant Chilumba
4.Anderson Phiri (Acting)
5.Dan Kabwe
6.Kelvin Kaindu
7.Fordson Kabole
8.Guston Mutobo
9.Perry Mutapa
10.Masauso Tembo (Acting)

Kalemba May 11, 2021