Online Reporter
Robson Sharuko
H-Metro Editor
FOR the better part of the last decade, CAPS United have been bedevilled by financial challenges which have paralysed the club’s ambitions to add a sixth Premiership title.
The Green Machine are the last club, among the traditional Big Three, to win the league championship when they took the crown in 2016 under Lloyd Chitembwe.
They should have won the championship again in 2019, when they led the race until the final two league games, only for them to implode with defeats to Ngezi and FC Platinum.
CAPS United are the only club, among the traditional Big Three, who are sponsored by an individual and have not received the kind of corporate sponsorship support which has been received by Dynamos and Highlanders in the past decade.
But, it appears, things are changing at the Green Machine.
CAPS United have not only found stability, helped by a significant improvement at the source of the funds which run the club, but they are even now luring coaches and players from outside the country.
The arrival of Ian Bakala was the first big signal that they now have the financial resources to take care of foreign recruits while the arrival of Congolese forward, Chris Mugalu, is another sign.
Mugalu, 34, won the Zambian Golden Boot in 2017 with 25 goals for Lusaka Dynamos and has also played for Simba of Tanzania and Saudi club Al Washm SC.
A Zambian defender and midfielder are also on their way to Makepekepe with Bakala using his links with these players, from his days in that country’s top-flight league, to lure them into his stable.
But, how have CAPS United suddenly transformed themselves into a club which is now able to lure Zambian and Congolese players, and coaches, into their stable given their history of financial challenges?
“The situation has changed and it’s only that we are not the kind of people who choose to talk too much but we prefer to do our business quietly but you can talk to our players and officials and they will tell you that things have changed,” said club owner Farai Jere.
“The environment we have at CAPS United today is totally different from what was there last year or the year before.
“We have stability and we are in a very good space as a club. The players know that their welfare is now being taken care of as per the provisions of their contracts and they are happy.
“Yes, the results were not good for us when we started the season but that doesn’t mean that the environment at our club, in terms of the welfare of the players and coaches, was very bad.”
CAPS United have set the winning bonuses for their players at US$500, which is one of the highest winning bonuses in the league.
This means that if the Green Machine players win all their four games in a month, the players will take home a cool US$2,000 each, while the head coach and his backroom staff get more than that.
The winning bonuses are separate from their monthly salaries.
The budget for the winning bonuses alone at the club, for one game, is now US$20,000.
Ndizvo zvakanakira mawinning bonuses. Available earnings so far $300000.00 but they have only used up $60000. At this rate they can only use up one hundred thousand out of $680000.00 Musazoti team hadzidi kubhadhara vanhu. Zvasiyana nekuDhembare neBosso despite ma 2 million avari kupihwa.