CAPS United on the verge of ending 11-year wait for title

By Tedious Manyepo

As they stand on the threshold of greatness, the CAPS United family yesterday took time to cement their bond, with club president Farai Jere and veteran striker Leonard Tsipa leading the chorus of unity and focus ahead of their penultimate Castle Lager Premiership assignment against Ngezi Platinum on Sunday.

CAPS United are on the verge of ending an 11-year wait to be crowned champions of domestic football and will host Ngezi Platinum at the National Sports Stadium knowing that victory for them and any result which is not a win for second-placed FC Platinum against Highlanders at Mandava, would guarantee them the ultimate prize.

Yet it has not been easy ride for coach Lloyd Chitembwe and his men with the CAPS United gaffer and his troops having had to defy odds in a difficult operating environment to get this perilously close to claiming the championship they last won under Charles Mhlauri in 2005.

Jere in rallying the team and underlined the significance of the championship title and unity of purpose in an address to the players after their morning training yesterday.

The Harare businessman together with his management team have toiled long and hard to ensure the CAPS United ship stays afloat and that the players’ welfare is catered for despite the economic challenges being experienced in the country.

The CAPS United boss also assured the players that their bonuses and salaries would continue to be paid on time as they target a return to the Champions League which now has rich pickings with the Confederation of African Football dangling a $2.5 million carrot for the winners.

Jere dismissed the notion that the players had downed tools arguing that Chitembwe’s men had never given management any ultimatum ahead of their clash with Chibuku Super Cup winners Ngezi Platinum.

“The players were saying they never had an intention to down tools, what I know is they requested to see me three weeks ago, but I was very busy preparing for my exams and it wasn’t about the money.

“They just wanted to see their president and find out whether we are going to participate in the Champions League or not,” said Jere.

“Threatening to down the tools when the guys are training like this, I do not know where those things are coming from.

“These guys have gone for three months without a salary before and they have done well under the current conditions and now salary arrears of one month is actually quiet commendable.

“They (players) know what they want they do not need any motivation from me. They just missed me, today’s (Wednesday) meeting was just an interaction which we had last held a long time ago and like I said they also wanted to find out the plans that we have for the Champions League in case we win and in view of the economic hardships. So it was really like a family day, we talked and laughed,’’ Jere said.

Tsipa, the only player in the current squad to have won a championship with the Green machine also weighed with a call to his teammates to shift their attention to the championship title.

The 34-year-old striker is CAPS United’s leading marksman with 11 goals and just as he did in 2004 in Makepekepe’s blow out season in which he scored 18 goals, Tsipa has been carrying the burden of providing the crucial goals in this campaign.

In that memorable year in 2004 CAPS United won 25 games, drew four and lost just once to claim the title with three games to spare and 15 points clear of second-placed Highlanders, who had 64 points while they finished with 79.

Interestingly Tsipa struck four goals in a 5-1 demolition of Kwekwe Cables away as CAPS United claimed the 2004 championship on Week 27.

In 2005 CAPS United had to do it the harder way, needing the final day’s results to seal the championship with two points ahead of Masvingo United who lost 2-1 to relegation threatened Dynamos at Mucheke while Mhlauri’s men suffered a 3-0 humiliation by Black Rhinos at the National Sports Stadium.

After surviving a largely turbulent season, Tsipa knows the values of focus and unity and has been preaching that gospel to his teammates as they seek to complete their season with Sunday’s home tie against Ngezi Platinum and an away assignment to Chapungu at Ascot on the final day.

Crucially, Tsipa’s teammates were in jovial mood as they went about their business at the National Sports Stadium before Jere later addressed them.

Tsipa said although CAPS United are yet to lose a game at the National Sports Stadium this year, they need to keep their feet on the ground and hold their nerve against the prospects of championship success.

“It’s a fact that we are leading in the race for the Premiership title. But that brings a lot of pressure to the team. We all know that we have to win our remaining fixtures in order to be guaranteed the title.

“But as much as it might look easy, I would like to urge my teammates to stay focused and concentrate on playing football. “We are to play Ngezi Platinum and Chapungu in our remaining fixtures. Those teams are some of the best in the Premiership and I believe it is not going to be easy.

“On Sunday, we will be playing Ngezi Platinum who are high on confidence after they dispatched fancied FC Platinum in the Chibuku Cup final. We could also fall into the same trap which FC Platinum found themselves in.

“We are the favourites to win the match as we have never tasted defeat at the National Sports Stadium this season but we could be surprised as Ngezi are a good side with a good coach and some of the best players in the league,” said Tsipa.

While CAPS United might have an intact home record, Tonderai Ndiraya’s Ngezi Platinum could spoil the party as they have built a reputation of rising to the occasion, especially against the league’s traditional giants. Ngezi Platinum frustrated CAPS United in the reverse fixture as they stole a point right at the death at Baobab back in April.

CAPS United have also been dealt a blow with skipper and midfielder Moses Muchenje suspended for Sunday’s assignment after accumulating three yellow cards. The Herald