Murape Murape, Dembare chairman in a fierce bust-up

DYNAMOS chairman Keni Mubaiwa and captain Murape Murape are reported to have had a fierce bust-up on Friday over a petition filed by players pushing for the boss' ouster.

The two are said to have exchanged harsh words as Mubaiwa accused the skipper of backbiting and leading a revolt against him.

This comes as tension continues to mount at the soccer champions whose players refused to train the whole of last week demanding outstanding allowances and signing-on fees among other burning issues.

They wrote two petitions last week, one detailing their grievances while the other was calling for Mubaiwa's exit.

The heated spat between Mubaiwa and Murape reportedly occurred during a crisis meeting convened at Gwanzura to resolve the problems at the club.

According to sources, the confrontation began when Murape questioned the chairman why the club gave new acquisitions signing-on fees while those for senior players were still outstanding.

The midfielder allegedly stated that what bothered him was that some of the new players were not even playing.

Mubaiwa is said to have hit back at Murape whom he accused of voicing concerns in bad faith.

"The chairman told Murape that he was doing all this to get him kicked out of the club," said one source.

"Mubaiwa said he was aware of the alleged meeting between the captain and a certain board member [name withheld] where they discussed the chairman's exit. He also accused Murape of writing a petition that he intended to personally hand to the board. But Murape denied the claims, saying he was not solely responsible for that petition as it carried everyone's signature.

"Yes, we wrote the petition and it is yet to be handed to the board and I doubt if it will ever get there. It should be with Murape. Mubaiwa declared that Murape's efforts were all in vain as he is too little to push him out of a big institution like Dynamos," our sources, said.

The skipper was not available for comment since Friday.

Secretary general Webster Chi-kengezha and the rest of the players were said to have been mere spectators as the two traded vitriol.

Mubaiwa yesterday denied there was such a clash and said players had no power to drive him from his position.

"We had a peaceful meeting where we freely engaged each other," said Mubaiwa. "I just told the captain that they registered their grievances in a wrong way and striking was a mistake. I also told him that you cannot fire your own boss. I do not know anything about the other petition as I only saw the one with grievances.

"They might have written it but I have not seen it. As I said, you cannot fire your own boss. It is useless. We are guided by the constitution at Dynamos where we do not allow player power. Only the board has the power to fire me."

Mubaiwa also denied reports that he was not in good books with Chikengezha.

The board of directors has however maintained a watching distance as the drama unfolds at DeMbare.

Meanwhile, players will meet this morning at East24 before the Chibuku Super Cup first round clash with Black Rhinos at Gwanzura this afternoon.