By Tadious Manyepo
Striker Simba Nhivi is demanding to be released from at CAPS United just seven months after his return to the club. The forward, who has failed to find his scoring touch that helped the Green Machine to the league championship two years ago, has now stopped training with the club.
Nhivi had a nasty fallout with the technical team last week.
The striker, with just five goals — three of them coming in just one game — to his name this season, even refused to be part of the travelling squad to Zvishavane for the team’s date against FC Platinum.
He had been picked for the tour of duty by coach Lloyd Chitembwe.
The fallout began when Nhivi was one of the players who were challenged by Chitembwe to up their game or risk losing his place in the team.
Nhivi was unhappy as he felt he was being targeted and he decided to stop training.
Reports indicate he is angling for a move to Dynamos.
Nhivi struggled when he went to play in Tanzania and was off-loaded, the latest setback to a career that has failed to live up to expectations.
He has already been rejected by a number of clubs in South Africa after having failed to live up to expectations.
CAPS United are believed to be eyeing a reunion with 2017 Golden Boot winner Dominic Chungwa who has been off-loaded by South African side Polokwane City.
Chungwa scored only one goal for the club who have decided he should take his career elsewhere.
It’s now likely that Chungwa will reunite with his old teammates at Makepekepe.
Abbas Amidu, Takunda Sadiki and Mitchel Katsvairo, who have been training with the team, are not expected to sign for the Green Machine.
CAPS United chief executive, Cuthbert Chitima yesterday said reports that a number of players wanted to leave the club were not true.
“It’s all speculation that a number of players have handed in transfer requests. My office is yet to see those (requests),” said Chitima.
“In as far as the team is concerned, CAPS United’s players still belong to the club until they are released.
“At the moment, there is no any player, including Simba Nhivi, who has handed a transfer request.
“That’s the position at the moment. All the players are supposed to report for training.”
Meanwhile, Ajax Cape Town have had their urgent application to interdict the start of the 2018 /19 Absa Premiership season postponed until tomorrow.
The Urban Warriors had returned to the South Gauteng High Court to try and put a stop to the upcoming season kicking off, as they seek reinstatement in accordance with Judge Denise Fischer’s setting aside of Advocate William Mokhari’s arbitration award that relegated the club.
The hearing was initially set for Monday at 10am.
However, Kick Off reports that the matter has since been deferred to tomorrow at 11.30am, pending the outcome of the Premier Soccer League’s leave to appeal, which is set to be heard at 9am on the same day.
The PSL have applied for leave to appeal Judge Fischer’s ruling, as they seek clarity before honouring the ruling that presumably reinstated Ajax into 15th position, while the PSL’s Board of Governors last week unanimously agreed to proceed with the start of the league on August 4.
In an effort to provide clarity, Ajax CEO Ari Efstathiou explained that the postponement had been brought on by the League’s delayed response to their urgent application filed to the court.
“We gave the PSL papers on Wednesday (last week) and they could have easily responded by Friday, but they did so yesterday (Monday) evening, so it’s put the whole delay (of the matter) even further,” explained Efstathiou.
“We were hoping to have some sort of direction today, unfortunately we haven’t got a choice, but to stand it down, which means we’re now going to come see Judge Fischer on Thursday morning for the leave to appeal issue and then come back at 11.30am to this court (Judge Phanuel Mudau) for the interdict.
“So, it’s another two days, very frustrating for everybody. I mean it’s something that needs to be dealt with and needs to be dealt with quickly. I hope it’s not just a delay to make things a little bit more difficult (for Ajax), because I think the League could have dealt with this. I mean, we received their papers on the way here, so now we need to respond.” The Herald
