Caps United spoil Easter weekend

By Ricky Zililo

BULAWAYO – Challenges facing CAPS United, owned by Premier Soccer League president Twine Phiri, were laid bare on Thursday after the players refused to fulfil their Castle Lager Premiership encounter against How Mine at Luveve.

The match was supposed to be beamed live on SuperSport.

The failure by CAPS United was a bad advertisement for Zimbabwean football.

About 1 000 fans lost their stadium entry fees after the match commissioner Michael Phiri called off the game at 3:55pm.

Phiri reached the decision after consulting referee Philani Ncube and assistants Brighton Nyika and Emmanuel Mugwagwa.

A sizeable number of CAPS United fans, who had been tipped that their team wasn’t coming to the venue, were seen roaming outside the stadium, saying they would only pay once they saw the team bus coming in.

The CAPS United squad arrived in Bulawayo on Wednesday afternoon for their much-publicised match, but the players woke up demanding their dues.

They informed their officials that they were not going to fulfil their fixture if the club didn’t pay them their salaries and, true to their threats, they boycotted the game.

A player, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said they were each given $100 by Bulawayo-based Caps United board member, Alex Munyaka, and their national supporters’ chairman Blessed Gumbo on Wednesday evening who had sourced funds.

The players then used part of the money they received from the supporters to hire a minibus to ferry them back to Harare yesterday afternoon but their vehicle was blocked at Mahatshula suburb, along Harare Road, by their supporters.

Fearing that the supporters could assault them, the players drove their hired bus to Bulawayo Central Police Station where they stayed for about two hours.

Not even the intervention of ZIFA vice-president Omega Sibanda, who tried desperately to save the match, could persuade the players to fulfil the tie.

The PSL even promised the players that they would guarantee the payment of their salaries but this failed to make them have a change of heart.

Only Rodreck Mutuma, Victor Twaliki and Leonard Tsipa were prepared to play the match.

According to insiders, the players said they could not offer their services to supporters who wanted to beat them.

Police are said to have offered an escort for the team to the stadium, but the players shot down the proposal.

After seeing that there was no breakthrough, the players boarded their hired minibus and hit the road back to the capital.

Meanwhile, How Mine coach Luke Masomere took a swipe at CAPS United officials whom he accused of tarnishing football.

“Really, this is disappointing and it is painting our football with a dirty brush. Certainly, this destroys football. Never in my life have I seen something like this.

“It shows lots of disorganisation when a top team fails to fulfil its game. I hope this is the last time that such a situation happens in our beautiful game,” said Masomere.

On a positive note, How Mine were happy that their players have reserved their energy for Sunday’s tie with Flame Lily in Harare.

However, Masomere, whose side stands to bag three points on a 3-0 scoreline, believes they could have won by a bigger margin yesterday.

“Looking at the way we had prepared, I’m convinced that were going to beat them 6-0 but now we will only be awarded three goals.

“I think this is not fair at all but we just have to go and prepare for the Flame Lily match which we will face with healthy bodies,” he said.

The PSL chief executive Kenny Ndebele said they will issue a statement this morning. The Chronicle