Legendary former Dynamos captain Memory Mucherahowa believes the Glamour Boys failed to win the Castle Lager Premier Soccer title this season because of off-field problems.

Tonderai Ndiraya’s charges appeared determined to end their 8-year wait for the league title, after a brilliat start to a campaign which saw giant energy company Sakunda Holdings coming on board.

DeMbare led the race until May, when off-field problems rocked their camp, starting with controversial suspension of Ndiraya, and then well-documented disagreements between players and the Isaiah Mupfurutsa-led executive over winning bonuses.

Mucherahowa reckons those problems cost Dynamos the title, which will be won by FC Platinum for the fourth consecutive season.

“There is a lot of off-field drama which occurred at Dynamos which was not healthy for a team fighting for the championship,” Mucherahowa told Soccer24 from his base in Slough, United Kingdom.

“The team has a lot of problems off the field. Some things were done in good faith but affected the team negatively because the players were not happy with them.

“For instance, if it is true that the executive suggested paying winning bonuses at the end of the season as we were reading, that is not a viable option, particularly for a championship-chasing team, because players need those winning bonuses.

“If it were up to me, when the sponsorship deal came on board, the Dynamos leadership should have negotiated winning bonuses with Sakunda as well,” added Mucherahowa.

The former Zimbabwe international also believes the suspension of Ndiraya was a turning point in Dynamos’ season.

“In my opinion, the team was playing well when the coach (Ndiraya) was suspended. And I still don’t know why he was suspended,” Mucherahowa said.

Part of the Sakunda sponsorship included the issuing of cars to the DeMbare coach and captain but Mucherahowa believes that was a bad idea.

“The issuing of a cars, especially to the captain, might have caused division in the dressing room. The players are human beings react differently,  that is probably why we are now hearing funny stories of tension between the captain and his vice,” said Mucherahowa.