HARARE - Highlanders fans have criticized the lack of “home-grown players” in their team, blaming it for the club’s failure to challenge bitter rivals Dynamos in recent times.

Dynamos walloped Bosso 4-0 in the Bob 89 Super Cup Challenge on Sunday to heap an embarrassing 6-1 aggregate defeat on the Bulawayo giants.

In the wake of the defeat, irate fans took to social networking sites to vent their frustration.

“How on earth do you have a Bosso captain who can’t speak the local language?” posted Victor November on Highlanders Supporters FC in apparent reference to club skipper Innocent Mapuranga.

Another fan, Victor Moyo, said the current crop of Bosso players lacked “tribal passion.”

“The reason why Bosso is in trouble is lack of passion, tribal passion. There is no point in being historic because times evolve. Now things have changed. Build passion by building players. Build players with their roots at home. Again I ask, how many Ndebele players did Dynamos have in their championship winning side last season and this year? Passion guys, passion!

“Look guys, we are now the whipping boys of Dynamos. And we are definitely not winning this season's league championship with this current crop of players. I promise you. Passion can drive a team. We are doing everything right only that we do not have Ndebele grown players.”

Some Bosso fans, however, begged to differ.  

“Tribalism will only result in "Rwanda & Burundi style" - Hutu & Tutsi finishing each other! It’s time both the Ndebele & Shona changed. Look @ the Venda, the Tonga, the Kalanga do. Life is living & not bull-***ng!,” wrote Alexius Lizwelethu.

 Sobukhosi Ngwenya echoed the sentiments: “It’s not a matter of who speaks which language; small minds like Mr November's won’t build us. Look at one of the biggest teams in Europe, Man Utd and Man City, their captains are Serbian and Belgian respectively. Let’s not build or support our team through tribal lines, it’s so stupid.”