HARARE - Rufaro Stadium this afternoon provides the stage for a befitting end to an action-packed Zimbabwean domestic football season when league champions Dynamos and enterprising Premiership outfit Monomotapa clash in the Mbada Diamonds Cup final.

What a befitting end to what has been by far one of the best seasons over the last few years.

The Mbada final today has drawn the interest of football-loving fans across the country and beyond.

Brace yourselves.

Daggers are drawn after a press conference in Harare on Thursday where Dynamos captain Desmond Maringwa mocked Monomotapa in a rare show of bullishness by the club’s great.

Maringwa, not known for being outspoken, taunted the 2008 league champions for lacking history and a winning mentality to topple the 19-time Zimbabwean champions in today’s final.

The long-serving Dynamos player, highly-respected at the club and enjoys “non-playing captain” status, tore into the Monomotapa team questioning their pedigree to challenge DeMbare in today’s epic final, labelling them “pretenders.”

Maringwa took aim at Monomotapa coach Biggie Zuze, saying the former Dynamos player was more loyal to his old club than the team he is currently coaching.

Zuze will want to prove his protégée wrong this afternoon by stopping DeMbare retain the trophy it won at its inauguration last term.

Besides the off-field rants, both sets of players will not be short of motivation. A staggering $100 000 is up for grabs and not forgetting year-long bragging rights by the victors of the country’s richest knock out tournament.

Monoz goalkeeper Artwell Mukandi said no team can afford to put a foot wrong on this one.

Mukandi will be the last man in defence against a Dynamos attack boasting of young Farai Mupasiri, Simba Sithole, Rodreck Mutuma and Martin Vengesai.

“This is one big game, one big cup, one big day....and above all $100 000 at stake,” said the Masvingo-born shot stopper, who made some top drawer saves to help Monoz beat FC Platinum 1-0 in the semifinal.
“We just cannot put one foot wrong on this one.

It’s now or never. We are going to win this cup. We will do whatever we can to win this coveted prize.

“They beat us once in the league and we did likewise, so they have no advantage over us whatsoever.

“I am very confident we will lift the Mbada Diamonds Cup this year.”

Maringwa, likely to start from the bench this afternoon, thrust his team into the line of fire.

“I believe that Monoz is just one of those small teams who think they can beat Dynamos. They are just pretenders,” he said.

“Monoz coach (Biggie) Zuze taught me football when I was a junior. He knows Dynamos culture of winning, he taught us how to win I’m surprised he wants Monoz to win,” Maringwa said.

Monoz captain Brian Mapfumo talked up his side’s chances of going all the way to lift the Mbada Cup as a befitting gesture to their remarkable season.