CAPS find Chungwa replacement

By Eddie Chikamhi

Premiership giants CAPS United are confident they will weather the pre-season storm that saw a host of star players leaving, with the Green Machine insisting they could still build a formidable side that will compete for the championship.

CAPS United’s confidence seems to have been boosted by the arrival of their first signing, striker Brian Muzondiwa, yesterday.

The former Warriors fringe player completed a two-year deal and has been welcomed as direct replacement for Golden Boot winner Dominic Chungwa, who left for South Africa recently.

CAPS United chief executive Cuthbert Chitima said the arrival of Muzondiwa from FC Platinum was a sign of their commitment to build a formidable side that is able to compete for honours despite the departure of several key players that won the championship with the his side in 2016.

“When we talk about Brian, we are not talking of a novice. He is someone whose experience with top-flight football is well documented.

“We knew about him from long back and we believe he is someone who should fit into the system without any hustle. In fact, he is the perfect replacement for Chungwa.

“We are happy he has agreed to join us and he is also excited to play for a big club like CAPS United,” said Chitima.

Muzondiwa joined the Harare giants as a free agent from FC Platinum, where he had fallen out of favour with coach Norman Mapeza.

The 25-year old had been on the FC Platinum books since 2015. CAPS United are expected to begin their pre-season programme on January 22.

But the Green Machine technical department would need to carry out a comprehensive audit of their losses before the start of the pre-season groundwork.

Apart from losing Chungwa, who joined Polokwane City and goalkeeper Edmore Sibanda now at South African second tier outfit Witbank Spurs’ books, CAPS have resigned themselves to losing the midfield pair of Devon Chafa and Moses Muchenje before the start of the season.

Chafa and Muchenje, who are now of out of contract at CAPS United, left for Egypt at the weekend, where they have been invited for trials.

Makepekepe will have to put up with the reality that the core of the team that won the title in 2016 is all but gone.

Apparently, the Green Machine paid a heavy price for their successes in the Champions League, where they reached the group stage for the first time in the club’s history, edging heavyweights TP Mazembe along the way.

They have since lost some of their best players like Ronald Chitiyo, Ronald Pfumbidzai, Abbas Amidu and Tafadzwa Rusike to foreign teams, while Dennis Dauda was released to join local side Yadah.

Chitima said they drew confidence in Makepekepe’s push in the final stages of the 2017 season, when they almost gate crashed into the top four of the season despite having made a poor start to the campaign.

“This is not the first time that players have moved. Every time that we lost players, we still rebuilt the team. If you remember well, even the year that we won the championship, there were players who moved and we still managed to come back to our feet and won the championship.

“Players always move. In fact, if players feel that they need greener pastures, let them be. There are better opportunities out there. You have to understand that our football has faced challenges because of the economy.

“But if you ask me, I would tell you that it will not be a big challenge for us to build a team that should fight for honours. “The team that won the championship in 2016 was also assembled the same way we have been assembling all our teams throughout the years.

“So we are not pressing the panic button. If anything, I don’t think we are going to lose many players from the team that we had in the second half of the season.

“It’s going to be three or four and what we need to do is to plug in the gaps,” said Chitima. Should they manage to retain John Zhuwawu, CAPS United will be hoping that he will strike a formidable partnership with Muzondiwa. The Herald