Online Reporter
Tadious Manyepo
Zimpapers Sports Hub
CAPS United. 15th on the log standings. 10 games. 2 wins. 2 draws. 6 defeats.
That’s the grim tale of Makepekepe’s 2025 campaign so far, and it’s forced the club’s hand.
With the Green Machine bogged down in relegation territory after Matchday 10, the CAPS United leadership has moved to overhaul its technical setup, placing its trust in familiar hands and hearts. Club president Farai Jere has confirmed that talks are underway with high-profile candidates, most notably those with a proud CAPS United past.
The plan? Entrust the next chapter of the Harare giants to the men who once wrote the club’s golden pages.
In a major shift of gears, club legend Lloyd Chitembwe has been promoted to technical director. No longer just concerned with day-today coaching, Chitembwe will now play a pivotal role in overseeing all technical operations across the club, in line with ZIFA Club Licensing demands.
He will hold temporary charge during training today and tomorrow, before a new head coach officially assumes the reins on Thursday.
Chitembwe’s former assistants Tonderai Marume and Farai Tawachera, along with the rest of the backroom staff, have been axed after CAPS’ dismal start to the season, marked by just eight points from a possible 30.
Though rumours swirled that Chitembwe himself might face the axe, it has now emerged that he is instead stepping into a broader, more strategic role at board level.
Already, the rebuild has begun.
Former midfield maestro Ian Bakala, a 2004 Soccer Star of the Year runner-up, has been confirmed as assistant coach in the new-look technical team. And the club’s next move could be the boldest yet, bringing in a CAPS United “son” as head coach. Not just any former player, though. The bar has been set much higher.
“We want CAPS United to be a championship-winning team. To achieve that, we want former players who have won the championship, those who know what is required,” said Jere.
“Then we look at their academic qualifications. Have they improved themselves? Because football has become scientific. So among those former players we have, we already have Ian Bakala, who won the championship as a player and as a coach.”
He added, “Even the head coach who is coming is a CAPS United son who has won the championship both as a player and as a coach.
“Those are the guys that we want. They know what is required. They know how to condition the players in terms of the level needed to win the championship, because they’ve been there before.”
Yet that shortlist is an exclusive club.
Only two former CAPS United players meet the elite criteria laid out by Jere: Lloyd Chitembwe himself and Takesure Chiragwi, the current head coach of Ngezi Platinum Stars.
Chitembwe, arguably CAPS United’s greatest servant, won three league titles with the club as a player (1996, 2004, 2005) and led them to glory as a coach in 2016. Chiragwi, the 2023 title-winning gaffer at Ngezi, also lifted the championship as a CAPS player in 2004 and 2005. His modern, high-energy style and intimate understanding of the club’s DNA make him an ideal candidate to take over. But prying him away from Mhondoro may prove difficult unless CAPS United can match or better his current package.
Meanwhile, FC Platinum’s Norman Mapeza, a proven winner with four league titles to his name, is also believed to have been approached.
Though not a CAPS product, Mapeza was part of Charles Mhlauri’s backroom staff during the Green Machine’s 2004-2005 back-to-back triumphs. Kwekwe United’s Saul Chaminuka has also emerged as a possible outsider.
For Jere, however, this is not just about appointing a new coach; it’s a complete cultural reset. “We don’t want a situation whereby if a coach fails to deliver, they blame it on someone else. You need to be accountable, and I am telling you, you’re going to see the benefit of it all from the new guys who are coming in,” he said.
“I think all of us work for different organisations, but we have different beliefs. You cannot be forced to subscribe to a belief that isn’t yours. Football is scientific, and the coach has to be responsible for the results.
“It was a wrong system. Sometimes we get used to wrong systems because we’ve lived with them for too long. “You can get accustomed to certain abuses, but that doesn’t mean it’s right. I am very happy that we took advantage of this to correct that.” Jere was also quick to credit the CAPS United fans, whose pressure played a major role in prompting the club’s recent changes.
“For CAPS United to be where it is today, it’s because of these fans. They won’t let anyone sleep on duty. The fans demand to see things being done,” he said.
“It’s their team, they own it. It’s embedded in their hearts. They are the ones who make this team survive. “These are the people who stood with the team during the CAPS United, CAPS FC raw. You cannot blame them for demanding results.” In one of his most emphatic declarations yet, Jere underlined the power of tradition.
“This is why I can tell you with authority that Dynamos, CAPS United and Highlanders will never be relegated, because they are the people who can come and chip in when they see that things are not going the way they expect.
“I could have intervened and said, “No, let’s give the coach more time,” but it’s because of them that we have reached this position. And I tell you, the results will start coming.”
Does anyone understand what Jere is saying here? I don’t. The man is just waffling and biting his tongue. Our football quality is dead. Mediocre players and coaches are being recycled like underwear. CAPS United is a good candidate for relegation, together with Dynamos.