Online Reporter
Curtworth Masango
Zimpapers Sports Hub
CAPS United became the first of the Big Three to fire their technical team in the wake of a poor season in which the Green Machine even found themselves battling relegation.
The Harare giants will unveil a new coaching team on Friday.
Head coach, Ian Bakala, and his backroom staff were relieved of their duties yesterday.
It’s a decision the club believe will open the door to a clearer long-term direction after a season in which the Green Machine flirted with relegation.
Bakala was handed the job to stabilise the team when Lloyd Chitembwe moved upstairs to become technical director.
He kept the team up but the club hierarchy feels the project needs a more ambitious rebuild.
The focus has now shifted to identifying the right person to lead that overhaul, and Ngezi Platinum Stars coach Takesure Chiragwi has emerged as the strongest favourite to take charge. His name has resurfaced months after he almost joined CAPS in May, before a dramatic last-minute twist kept him at Ngezi.
Back then, Chiragwi agreed terms with CAPS to replace Chitembwe.
A double cab truck had already been secured for him and a media conference was lined up to unveil his arrival. All that remained was for him to finalise his exit from Ngezi, where his contract runs until the end of the year.
But, a meeting in Mhondoro back then changed everything.
Ngezi’s leadership, led by chairman Leonard Musariri, moved swiftly to block the move, leaving CAPS blindsided and forcing the club to promote Bakala from assistant to head coach.
Alex Sigion, who once served as assistant at Ngezi before moving to Eswatini, came in as his number two. It is against that backdrop that Chiragwi’s name has returned to the table, although CAPS insist they have not made a final decision.
“We need to reassess our overall direction. This involves a complete reset of our strategy,” said CAPS United CEO Morton Dodzo.
“We must acknowledge that the previous set-up served its purpose for the challenge it faced but we cannot be bound by it now.
“We have to evaluate the roles that were played and determine if we are on the right path or if a fundamental reconstruction is necessary.”
Dodzo said the club has dissolved the existing structure but is yet to settle on its replacement.
“At the moment we have simply dissolved the structure. It’s too early to say who will be coming in. We are open to all possibilities, it could be a completely new team or a version of an old set-up,” he said.
“We need to reassemble, but we will make a formal announcement once the decisions are final. You will only get the full details of the club’s plans after the appointment of the technical team, so to speak, from the official announcement.”
The CEO admitted the club was racing against time. “We recognise that in terms of setting up the new technical team, we are behind schedule. We are aware of the urgency, both for our stakeholders and the public.”
Mathew Masinge