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Augustine Hwata Senior Sports Reporter
THREE former Zimbabwe internationals are among the scores of hopefuls who thronged Italian Sports Club yesterday to try their luck in getting jobs at Harare Premiership soccer giants CAPS United. Former Warriors vice-captain James Matola, Evans Gwekwerere and Eddie Mashiri were among the noticeable players who are having trials at the Green Machine yesterday.
The three are all former Dynamos players and have made stints in the South African Premiership.
Gwekwerere and Mashiri have also featured for CAPS United before.
Also trying to reunite with CAPS United was their former goalkeeper Itayi Chiwara who spent the last season at Motor Action.
CAPS United coach, Taurai Mangwiro, took charge of the trials while Brenna Msiska and Albert Mabika, who both served as assistant coaches last season, were present although they were rather passive.
Newly-appointed team manager Luis Mioa was also at the training session alongside the club’s administrator Morton Dodzo.
“So far I am taking charge of the training session alone since coach Saul (Chaminuka) has left for ZPC Kariba.
“At present, all technical staff, including those who were manning the junior teams, will have to go through interviews for the jobs.
“That’s the same process that I went through and we now wait for the board but it seems we are lagging behind because it’s always important that we start on the same note with other colleagues in the technical team,” said Mangwiro.
It is understood that Mangwiro wants to retain Msiska and Mabika in the CAPS United structures while Mkhuphali Masuku could also be roped in.
Mangwiro said he would like to retain the bulk of his squad from last season but could be making few additions.
While there were over 50 players on trials, among them Matola, Gwekwerere, Chiwara and Mashiri, CAPS United coach Mangwiro said he will only have room for four players.
“It’s a big challenge that I am the only one working with such a big group and it’s an unfortunate but I hope that the key areas will be addressed very soon.
“I have submitted my own recommendations but the (CAPS United) board have not yet come back to me but I hope it will be soon,” said Mangwiro.
Mangwiro said he will need to work on the physical fitness of the old squad while he need to look at the ball skills of the new hopefuls mainly drawn.
“Today we went through a general endurance exercise with the senior players whereby we ran without using footballs.
“We should be incorporating some footballs as we progress while for the trialists, I am interested in assessing their ball skills.
“The intention is to retain the bulk of the players we have and if we have room we could get just three players.
“It’s not that we don’t have a team but the team is there already,” said Mangwiro.
Mangwiro said he would like to get a team mainly composed of Under-20 players to get a Division One franchise that would feed into the main team just like the CAPS United Academy under Charles Mhlauri in 2004.
“I have made suggestions that we could get a second string team, but mainly Under-20s to compete in a league,” said Mangwiro.
Online Reporter