Patson Jaure
Petros Kausiyo Deputy Sports Editor—-
CHAMPIONS Dynamos — keen to have defensive rock Partson Jaure back in action — are mulling lodging an appeal against the Zimbabwe international defender’s lengthy seven-match ban by the Premier Soccer League. Jaure was handed a seven-match suspension in November last year following an altercation with referee Thabani Bamala in a tense Premiership showdown between Dynamos and Highlanders at Barbourfields on October 27.
Apart from the ban, Jaure was slapped with a US$2 000 fine.
The 22-year-old centre-back who captained the Warriors to a fourth place finish at the African Nations Championships in Cape Town, South Africa, had been sent off in the 30th minute of that encounter after a clash with Bosso striker Njabulo Ncube.
Ncube also saw red in the game, but Jaure reacted angrily to his booking and in a fit of rage charged at Bamala, physically threatening the match official with a kick.
That aggression earned him sanctions from the league and the PSL disciplinary committee comprising chairman Don Moyo, Vusi Vuma and retired referee Brighton Mudzamiri concluded that Jaure’s action could not go unpunished.
Apart from handing him a seven-match ban, Moyo and his committee also slapped Jaure with a US$2 000 fine of which US$500 was suspended for good behaviour for the rest of the season. But it is the Glamour Boys’ contention that the penalty was too harsh and warrants a review.
Dynamos coach Callisto Pasuwa leapt to his defender’s corner once again and argued that Jaure had shown remorse by first apologising publicly for his actions and added that the player had shown signs of huge reform in the manner in which he had executed his duties as Warriors’ CHAN squad captain.
“I think he deserves a chance for a review of his punishment. Ever since he was punished, he has shown a great deal of reform in his approach to the game for both club and country and we hope the authorities can take that into account and slash the ban.
“His livelihood depends on football and in football seven games on the sidelines is a long time,’’ Pasuwa said.
Dynamos secretary-general Webster Chikengezha said his club was weighing the options available to them over Jaure’s issue.
“We are contesting that ban and we are exploring the best possible ways of doing so.
“The appeal fees are prohibitive and we are weighing the cost-benefit analysis of that exercise.
“Maybe we could pay the appeal fee of US$3 000 and then they slash the penalty by just two games so we are really considering whether it is worth to take that route.
“I cannot pre-empt what other considerations we have, but all I can say is that we are trying to pursue other means in our bid to have Partson back in action,’’ Chikengezha said.
Pasuwa would no doubt have loved to have his star defender available as soon as he can as the Harare giants have been hit by injuries ahead of the start of the league programme.
Dynamos, chasing a new record of a fourth straight championship under Pasuwa, will begin their title defence with a cagey assignment against How Mine at Barbourfields on Sunday.
Although he might not have received as much recognition as he deserves for his exploits with some within the DeMbare family still surprisingly questioning his pedigree, Pasuwa reached unprecedented levels last year when he led Dynamos to a third straight championship title.
But the Dynamos coach is under no illusion about the tough season that awaits him in 2014 in which his charges also have to atone for their woeful Champions League campaign in which their journey ended at the first round stage where they fell to Democratic Republic of Congo side AS Vita following a 1-0 aggregate defeat.
That journey towards a possible fourth straight title will start with the How Mine test in a match that will also be beamed live on SuperSport.
How Mine, last year ended Dynamos’ bid for a third successive Mbada Diamonds Cup final appearance when they sent them tumbling out at the semi-final stage following a penalty shoot-out win at Rufaro.
The gold miners, however, lost to city rivals Highlanders in the final but with Bosso serving a Confederation of African Football suspension from continental competitions, they went on to feature in the Confederation Cup in which they however, lost in the first round following a 3-2 aggregate defeat by Nigerian outfit Bayelsa.
It is also against the background of the injuries that have hit his team and the fact that the club’s management made a rash of a decision to let Gift Bello go which has left Pasuwa ruing Jaure’s absence.
Jaure and Bello, who is now at rivals FC Platinum formed an impregnable central defensive partnership that provided consistent cover for Zimbabwe goalkeeper George Chigova and were the rock on which Dynamos built the platform for their successful campaign. In the duo’s absence, Pasuwa has had to try partnering former Eagles man Victor Kamhuka with either newboy Themba Ndlovu who arrived from Buffaloes in the close season or Sydney Linyama.
The coach has, however, made no secret of his wish to have Jaure back to steady the ship from the heart of defence and whether they will be granted the relief they are seeking over the Zimbabwe international defender remains to be seen, but for now Dynamos appear keen to go all the way and ensure their man is back sooner rather than later.