Chunga remains green

By Robson Sharuko
MOSES CHUNGA emerged from a 24-hour soul-searching exercise yesterday to declare that he has decided to stay at CAPS United this season and will try and accomplish his mission to end the Green Machine’s six-year wait for league championship honours.
The 45-year-old coach’s future as CAPS United coach had been hanging in the balance after the former Zimbabwe captain stormed out of a routine meeting to discuss the team’s defeat to Dynamos in a Bob 87 Super Cup showdown at Rufaro on Sunday.
Chunga walked out of the meeting after objecting to concerns raised about the team’s fitness levels, ahead of the start of the 2011 Castle Lager Premiership campaign, and protesting that such reviews were tantamount to an attack on his credibility as a coach.
He told The Herald on Tuesday that while his decision to storm out of the meeting did not mean he had quit the club, he was seriously considering his options. But yesterday Chunga said after careful consideration, he had decided to stay at CAPS United because he had realised that his mission, to end the Green Machine’s half-a-dozen years’ wait for league championship glory, was a bigger prize that needed to be chased and won.
“My reaction to the issues raised at our meeting might not have been the best possible way to deal with the situation that I faced and, after careful consideration, I have decided that I have a responsibility to the players, the fans and the institution called CAPS United,” said Chunga.
“It was never my intention to hurt the feelings of the players, the fans or theowners of the club and if I hurt Farai Jere (club director) with the way that I reacted to issues he raised at that meeting, then I have to say it now that I regret all that happened.
“It’s normal, in a big institution like CAPS United, that we will not always agree on certain key issues and, in my opinion, that is healthy for us as we try to build a strong team.
“But what is important is that we should always find a way to move forward and to find our unity as the CAPS United family and I have taken the initiative as the head coach to heal the wounds that might have come with what happened on Tuesday.
“I am committed to CAPS United and I believe that I should always be guided by my mission to try and win the league championship this year and this means that any challenges that can come along the way should never shift our focus from what we want to achieve.”
Chunga said his working relationship with Jere was healthy and whatever differences they might have had on Tuesday should enable them to build a stronger partnership.
“We are all driven by the passion to try and make CAPS United stronger and we have a battle on our hands to try and win the championship,” said Chunga.
“The focus is back on what we want to do for the team and I have already summoned the players to converge tomorrow (today) for an afternoon training session and, from there on, it’s non-stop until we get our league campaign going.
“I have identified some of the weaknesses that my team has right now and I have always believed that is what matches like the one we played against Dynamos are meant to achieve because they give you a chance to analyse your team in pre-season conditions.
“We are going to work on those departments and it’s my job to strengthen the defence, the make the midfield better and to make the strikeforce sharper.
“I have organised some friendly matches coming this weekend and we will continue working on the team and, hopefully, we will get to the position that we want the team to be in before the start of the season.”
Chunga reiterated that his CAPS United team, which slumped to a painful 2-3 defeat at the hands of bitter rivals Dynamos in the Bob 87 Super Cup, was not outplayed on Sunday.
“Maybe we see things differently but, as the head coach, I think there was a
commendable fighting spirit in my players on Sunday, especially the way they fought back even when they had to play about 50 minutes with a man down,” said Chunga.
“Yes, there are certain positions that need attention but I believe that we have a solid base to work with.
“I am not walking away from CAPS United because, after careful consideration, I think we have an exciting project and if we all work hard, as a united family, we can achieve some great things.”
CAPS United protested over the payment of their dues from the prize money, tabled by organisers of the challenge match, amid concerns among the Green
Machine players that the club had received its share of US$15 000 reserved for the losing team.
Makepekepe received US$30 000 in cash, the same as Dynamos, after President Mugabe donated US$60 000, which was outside the prize money promised by the organisers, to the two giants for their participation in the Bob 87 Super Cup showdown. While the two teams received US$25 000 each on Sunday, they were given a further US$5 000 each on Monday to complete their share from the Presidential donation.
The Green Machine split the donation between the club and the players and their technical staff.
There were concerns, among the CAPS United players, that the club had received its share of US$15 000, but had not passed either part, or the whole prize money, to the playing staff and their coaches, leading to yesterday’s stand-offat training.
However, the organiser of the match Stan Kasukuwere, announced that there was no need for either team to panic because their share of the prize money would be disbursed as soon as the organising team completes all formalities related to the match.
“We have not disbursed the prize money because there are some issues, which have to do with the logistics related to bank transfers and those who have the authority to sanction such transfers, which are yet to be finalised,” said Kasukuwere.
“We have advised both Dynamos and CAPS United of that position and we have given them our assurance that their funds, from the prize money, will be disbursed into their coffers as soon as possible once we get the authority of everyone involved in the sponsorship package.
“There is absolutely no need for anyone to panic or to start spreading rumours that we have already paid the clubs because that is not the correct position and we are certain that by tomorrow (today), or before the end of this week, we would have settled this issue.”