Is it to do with the colour green?

On Sundays, I would accompany my grandmother to church. It was such a long walk and the whole day was literally devoted to going to church and returning home, but the scenery, domestic and wild animals as well as all kinds of birds with an assortment of whistles would always keep you captivated throughout the journey.

On our way to church, we would pass through a mountain and at some point I realised that the mountain had changed its “colour”. During the previous school holiday it was full of green grass and trees, but now that life had gone.

The few remaining patches of grass had turned brownish and so were the sporadic leaves left up in the trees. I then asked my granny what happened to the mountain which looked so beautiful the last time I saw it. She appeared unperturbed by what I considered a discovery, and explained to me in simple terms that everything has a life cycle. She said once rains come, the grass and trees will come back to life and the mountain will be green or dark as it was before.

When the season changes, everything changes, but most importantly, anything green with life changes colour or dies. The 2012 Premiership season has turned out to be a season of no rains for green clubs-CAPS United, FC Platinum and Quelaton. The three teams use green as their dominant colour or home colour and things seem to be off the track for them.

Premiership debutants Quelaton are stuck at the basement of the log and they will need a miracle to come back to life and fight for survival, as the league race enters home stretch in the last round of matches.

FC Platinum came into the league with a bang last year, became an employer of choice with high salaries and allowances for players and coaches and no wonder why they managed to lure the cream of the Premiership. But some where somehow, they lost the map and are no longer the team to beat that they were last season.

They are seventh on the log, 14 points behind log leaders Highlanders and their back to back losses to Monomotapa at home and Dynamos in Harare on Wednesday left soccer fans wondering what has happened to the team that promised so much to Zimbabwean football in their maiden season in the top league. Perhaps the random changes in the playing squad has been their major undoing, but there should be more than what meets the eye. Only time will tell.

The green machine, as CAPS United are affectionately known, seem to have suffered a serious knock and some actually think the machine needs an engine overhaul, but I don’t think so. I think the rains will come and the grass will go green again. It’s just a matter of things failing to come to their rightful places after such a promising approach in the run up to the season, getting a number of players and coaches who many believed were going to make things happen at CAPS. In fact, they had the longest pre-season camp in Chiredzi and they were rated among title favourites.

But that was not to be and they had to part ways with Irish coach, Sean Connor and his entire back room staff that included former player Lloyd Chitembwe, but nothing has changed at CAPS, who have gone for a shocking seven-game losing streak, with new coach Taurai Mangwiro getting the latest two losses, albeit against giants Highlanders and Dynamos.

And the loss 3-0 to Dynamos recently was the worst in 12 years, driving the point home that nothing seems to be going right at CAPS, with players who would have ordinarily scored for any other club, failing to find the back of the net. Former Warriors striker Shingi Kawondera, who joined the club mid season and was largely expected to be a hit and emulate what Takesure Chinyama did at Dynamos before attracting South African Champions Orlando Pirates, has played for two months and is yet to break the duck. Another highly rated striker Clive Kawinga, has gone for ten months without scoring a single goal, which is almost the whole season, and the worst, unbelievable actually, has been the duo of Evans Gwekwerere and Washington Pakamisa.

Pakamisa, who had a surprise call up to the national team in June, has only managed a single goal in 12 months and the worst of luck has been with former Dynamos hit man, Gwekwerere, who has gone for a massive 12 months without a single goal. Such is the crisis with the frontline at CAPS United and it is not surprising that they are fifth from the bottom of the log, in the relegation zone to be precise. I have to say it but I know my good friend Blessing “Bolt cutter” does not like that statement, but that is the reality that greets him every day as he finishes his shower and puts on his favourite green t-shirts-he still believes in the colour green by the way and this club called CAPS United.

CAPS have 19 points from 19 matches, a point better than Gunners, who are fourth from the bottom, four points more than Hardbody who are third from the bottom and five points more than Blue Rangers, who are second from the bottom and 13 points more than basement club Quelaton. If you compare them with log leaders Highlanders, they are a massive 24 points behind and it’s just unbelievable, but that is football. It has its own thrills, turns and that’s what makes it exciting anyway.

The crisis deepened this week with the sacking of first choice goalkeeper Edmore Sibanda and defender Nyasha Mukumbi, who joined former captain David Sengu who was sent packing for allegedly leading an uprising over delays in the payment of salaries a few months back.

Sibanda and Mukumbi were fired over allegations of insubordination, while a number of players have been given warnings for not supporting the club’s cause. The suspension of the pair, according to The Herald, has also sucked in former coach Chitembwe, as the two are said to be loyal to him and wanted him to return to the technical team set up, that has Mangwiro, former Highlanders player and coach Mkhuphali Masuku and Brenna Msiska.

Club president Twine Phiri said that there had been an air of relief among the rest of the players after they announced that Sibanda and Mukumbi had been fired, “which shows the extent to which their bad influence was affecting the team.”

“We have expelled Nyasha Mukumbi and Edmore Sibanda after our investigations established that they were guilty of insubordination both on the field of play to the coaches and to the management as well. We have also established that while we have been trying to do our best to provide for the team and create a winning environment for the players, meetings were being held behind our backs where people caucused and resolved to undermine the club. Sadly two of the most experienced players in the team Edmore and Nyasha were heavily involved in those clandestine meetings,” he said.

The team travels to Mutare for a tough assignment against Buffaloes tomorrow, but they need to pray hard for the rains to come so that they end their worst run in the modern era of the Premiership.

OOPS NKATHA SUSPENDED

Last week, I mentioned how former Warriors striker Kingston Nkatha had blossomed to become one of the leading strikers in South Africa. After an impressive season at lowly Black Leopards, where he went to join Sunday Marimo last season, he moved recently to glamour club Kaiser Chiefs and has had a dream start.

I was looking at the options of national team coach, Rahman Gumbo upfront since the other guys like Nyasha Mushekwi, Cuthbert Malajila and Edward Sadomba are out of the national team set up due to links to Asiagate match-fixing. I felt Nkatha would add value since the availability of talisman Knowledge Musona was also uncertain due to his issues with Zifa, but Gumbo reminded me something–Nkatha is also on the Asiagate list.

The other guys were on the spotlight because they were active for the Warriors, but Nkatha had long been forgotten, but his name is there on the list of suspended players by Zifa and cannot be called up for national duty.

“I get your point but the reason why I have not bothered to call Kingston is that he is on the Asiagate list of suspended players. He is doing well at the moment and can really help us with options upfront but my hands are tied. I hope there will be a solution to this Asiagate thing especially regarding the suspension of players from national team duties because it leaves us with few options, but we have to do with what we have in the mean time,” said Gumbo. It’s sad, it’s like all good players are on that list!”

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