Gwekwerere, Chitembwe in training ground bust-up
By Dakarai Mashava
Caps United striker Evans Gwekwerere will not feature in his side’s clash with Blue Ribbon tomorrow following a training ground bust-up with coach Lloyd Chitembwe.
The former Dynamos striker missed training on Wednesday without permission and was immediately sent back home by Chitembwe when he turned up for training on Thursday. According to sources at the club, an angry Chitembwe ripped into Gwekwerere and suspended him from the weekend tie against newcomers Blue Ribbon.
“The coach was very angry when Evans finally turned up for training on Thursday after missing training the previous day. He told Gwekwerere that he won’t play on Sunday but he will be available for the other games”, said the source.
CAPS coach Chitembwe, while confirming that Gwekwerere will play no part in Makepekepe’s game against Blue Ribbon, denied that he had a bust-up with the former DeMbare striker.
“There will always be rumours. I didn’t have a bust-up with Evans. He won’t play on Sunday primarily for technical reasons”, said Chitembwe. “With our place in the Castle Premier League guaranteed, there is no better time than now to give other squad players a run in the team.
“Evans will simply miss the game against Blue Ribbon because the coaches have decided to try others. It’s as simple as that”, added the no-nonsense coach. Efforts to get comment from Gwekwerere came to nought as he repeatedly cut off calls from the Daily News.
The gap-toothed striker has been eying a return to South Africa where he last turned out for Jomo Cosmos who he helped get promoted to the South African premiership from that country’s second tier.
He recently had an inconclusive trial stint with South African Premier Soccer League champions Orlando Pirates who are reportedly still keen to assess him with a view to beefing up their misfiring strike force.
Gwekwerere’s days at Makepekepe could be numbered given Chitembwe’s well-known dislike for errant players. Meanwhile, Chitembwe told the Daily News that his team will go into Sunday’s match against the millers determined to win the game.
“We never go into a match without an intention to win. When I was re-hired by the club. the brief was very simple: to secure the team’s premiership status. The club’s focus now is to build a team capable of winning the league title but that is not my concern right now”, said Chitembwe.
Chitembwe added that his team was not necessarily fighting to end up in a respectable position on the log.
“As far as I am concerned, the only respectable position on the log that a club of CAPS’ calibre should aim for is winning the league title itself. Any other position for me is not respectable enough”. To visit the Daily News click here
