CAPS United not serious: Ex-players
By Godknows Matarutse
HARARE – The decision by CAPS United not to appoint a substantive coach in time ahead of the 2015 season is a huge gamble that is poised to backfire, the club’s former players have said.
The Green Machine are without a coach after Taurai Mangwiro dumped them to join ambitious side Harare City where he took along with him the backroom staff of assistant coach Mike Madzivanyika and goalkeepers’ coach Richard Tswatswa.
Returning chief executive Joe Makuvire has of late indicated they are in no immediate hurry to appoint a new coach, a development which as attracted sharp criticism from former players who questioned the club’s vision.
The Makepekepe bosses, Daily News understands, are interested in hiring a South African coach.
“I don’t know the criteria they are using but for any serious team this is the time to start preparing for the new season,” former United defender Charles Sibanda told the Daily News yesterday.
“What I would suggest for them is to find Mangwiro’s replacement as soon as possible. Remember the new coach needs enough time to assemble a competitive side for the new season.
“He needs to make his own assessment of the current squad because some of the players are leaving and the executive cannot sign players for a coach unless it’s something else.
“It seems they are not serious because by now, just like at other clubs like Dynamos, Highlanders and Harare City, the new coach would have been started beefing up the team. There is nowhere you can sign players without a coach.
“I don’t know what the club’s vision is but this will come back to haunt them, trust me. Soon after New Year teams will begin preps for the new season. I wonder how they are going to prepare for the new season.”
Sibanda added: “They failed to win the championship this year largely to financial issues and a coach from outside is not likely to help matters here. I felt it will be in the interest of supporters if they can pick a former player to coach the team.”
Former midfielder Albert Mabika added that for as long United fail to maintain the club’s culture by appointing former players they will keep on struggling.
“I think people who are in charge with the day to day operations of the club should do better,” Mabika said.
“Preparations for the new season are already underway and you wonder what they are still waiting for. The problem is people in charge are not considerate to the thousands of supporters who are out there.
“This will definitely backfire because a new also need time to build a strong team especially during this pre-season.
“I also heard they want a foreign coach, but are they telling me that all the team’s former players are not good enough to lead the team. Look at Dynamos, they give their sons a chance and things have been working for them.”
The new coach at the Green Machine will have a difficult task to assemble a competitive squad for the upcoming season. A mass exodus of players is looms at United with several players engaging the Footballers Union of Zimbabwe in a desperate bid to move away.
The Glamour Boys recently appointed David Mandigora to succeed Calisto Pasuwa and they have since completed the signing of defender Godknows Murwira and Kelvin Bulaji with negotiations for other players currently underway.
Harare City have also made their intentions clear by appointing a star-studded technical team led by Mangwiro and is busy on the transfer market. Daily News
