CAPS mourn Rooney’s father

Sports Reporter

THE CAPS United family have been plunged into mourning, following the death of the father of their influential midfielder, Ronald “Rooney’’ Chitiyo.

Club president, Farai Jere, led a delegation of the team’s officials to the Chitiyo family house, in Epworth, yesterday, to pay their last respects.

Jere said they will help Chitiyo with the funeral costs.

‘’It’s a trying time for all of us at CAPS United right now as we are mourning the death of the man who gave us our midfield star, Rooney,’’ Jere said.

“It’s never an easy time, when you lose a parent, especially one who was very supportive and, in Rooney’s case, helped him realise his dream to become a professional footballer.

“It has been a very difficult period, for our footballers, since the lockdown last March, as they have been inactive and they have been facing a number of challenging.

“And, just when Rooney was thinking that there could be some light, soon, with the game returning at some point, this tragedy has struck and, as a club, we can’t let him deal with his plight on his own.

“That is why we had to pay the visit and assure him that we are together, as a united family, in these trying times and we will help him, as much as we can so that everything proceeds smoothly.

“It’s a double blow for us given that it’s a tragedy that also directly affects our former son, Takesure Chiragwi. The fathers of Takesure and Rooney are brothers.’’

It has been a trying last few years for Chitiyo.

Three years ago, the CAPS United midfielder successfully underwent a delicate knee operation, in Harare, bringing to an end a dark period which had threatened to paralyse his career.

Chitiyo suffered a right knee injury, at the beginning of 2018, when he was a hit by a car in Epworth.

This was around the same time the midfielder had returned home from an unsuccessful short stint with Tunisian giants Club Sfaxian.

Initially, the injury appeared minor with the club even registering the diminutive midfielder to play this season.

But, just two days after he began training, his knee started to swell prompting the team to send him for a scan which revealed some complications.

A Zambia-based Zimbabwean doctor offered to assist pay the bills should the operation be conducted in Lusaka while the route to go to South Africa was also considered where the operation was pegged at US$12 000.

Finally, the Green Machine stuck to their word to part with a substantial amount, believed to be around US$6 000, paving way for renowned specialist orthopedic surgeon, Allan Bowers, to conduct the surgery in the capital.