By Dickson Bandera
Dynamos and Highlanders survived relegation on the final day of the 2025 Castle Lager Premier Soccer League season, narrowly avoiding what would have been the most seismic collapse in Zimbabwean football history.
The two giants finished just above the drop zone, earning 39 points from 34 matches in a tumultuous campaign marked by fan boycotts, administrative disputes, poor recruitment, and growing concerns over the league’s integrity.
The four that fell by the way side are Yadah, Green Fuel, Kwekwe United and Bikita Minerals.
Highlanders, one of Zimbabwe’s oldest football institutions, risked marking their 100-year centenary celebrations in 2026 from the obscurity of Division One football—an outcome that would have been unthinkable for a club of their stature.
Despite enduring a woeful season on the pitch, Bosso’s famously loyal fan base kept filling Barbourfields Stadium week after week, offering unwavering support even as the team battled relegation threats.
Dynamos, the country’s most decorated club with 22 league titles, and over 16 cup titles endured an equally bruising season. Fan frustration reached breaking point as supporters boycotted matches and demanded the removal of board chair Bernard Marriot.
With all the shine and sheen associated with a club also known as the Glamour Boys or Dembare, there was nothing glamorous in the manner the team performed this season.
Attendance plummeted to unprecedented lows for a club historically known for commanding enormous crowds. Off-field tensions were compounded by on-field struggles, with DeMbare failing to match the new energy sweeping the league.
This season saw the rise of new clubs that set fresh benchmarks in professionalism, thanks to strong investment in player recruitment, welfare, infrastructure, and community empowerment. Teams such as Scotland FC and Mwos became magnets for top talent and introduced a brand of football that reinvigorated stadium atmospheres nationwide.
Their growth attracted high-profile supporters—including influential fan Ogege, who famously crossed the floor from the old giants to the new generation of clubs. Stadiums saw an influx of celebrities, socialites, and football-loving public figures following the exciting brand of football offered by these ambitious sides.
The league also witnessed a remarkable return of star players such as Knowledge Musona, Khama Billiat, Terrence Dzvukamanja, and Ronald Pfumbidzai, whose presence helped restore quality, competitiveness, and fan excitement.
It was a year many hailed as the season Zimbabwean football finally bounced back—except for Dynamos and Highlanders, who remained shadows of their former glory.
Controversy escalated just days before the season concluded when the Premier Soccer League (PSL) announced that there would be no relegation, a decision widely condemned as an attempt to protect the struggling giants. Critics argued that the move threatened the credibility of the league and undermined fair competition.
In a dramatic twist, ZIFA intervened and interdicted the PSL decision, insisting that relegation must proceed in accordance with rules set at the start of the season. ZIFA emphasised that football integrity could not be sacrificed, forcing the league to revert to established regulations and setting up a high-stakes final weekend.
Under renewed pressure, Dynamos and Highlanders were compelled to deliver when it mattered most, securing crucial points to stay afloat. Both teams secured a point each, which was enough to give them a new lease of life. Their survival preserved the league’s biggest rivalry and prevented what would have been a historic collapse for Zimbabwe’s most followed clubs.
While their escape spared the Premier League a major commercial and cultural blow, analysts say the struggles of the two giants exposed deep-rooted structural and administrative weaknesses. Despite surviving relegation, the consensus is clear: merely staying up is not enough.
Both Dynamos and Highlanders must now rebuild from the ground up if they are to reclaim their status in a league undergoing rapid transformation.
