Online Reporter
Eddie Chikamhi
Zimpapers Sports Hub
CAPS UNITED walk into the off season with a sense of relief and a clear intention to start over. After a turbulent campaign that pushed them close to the drop, the Green Machine are preparing a full reboot aimed at restoring their status as title contenders.
The turnaround begins today. CAPS United will unveil their new head coach, widely expected to be Takesure Chiragwi, after dissolving their entire technical team earlier this week. The club will also present a batch of new signings for 2026, a sign they want to move faster than their rivals while the dust from the season is still settling.
Club president Farai Jere is set to outline the plan and ambitions for 2026 and beyond. Once the announcements are done, players and the incoming technical team will break off for the festive holidays and return in early January to start the rebuild.The season they leave behind was a draining one. CAPS United spent large stretches fighting off relegation and eventually finished ninth. A mid-season shift from Lloyd Chitembwe to Zambian coach Ian Bakala brought little change. After four months of inconsistent results, the club decided to cut ties with Bakala and his staff.
“We have respectfully engaged the technical team that did duty in 2025 and we would like to thank them for their services,” said Jere. “So, we would want to give the incoming coach a clean slate to start on, that is why we decided to get rid of the whole technical bench.”
The new project is built around keeping pace with teams that have reshaped the league’s competitive landscape. Scottland, Simba Bhora, MWOS and TelOne have stepped forward with strong structures and solid financial muscle, and CAPS United know they must match that if they hope to return to the top. Their last championship came in 2016, and even heavy investment in players and bonuses this year did not bring the spark they needed. Jere says the club has been working quietly but aggressively behind the scenes, moving early on recruitment as guided by the incoming coach.
“We have almost completed our new signings for 2026, and we are going to make an announcement on Friday when we unveil the new coach,” he said. “As a club we know exactly what we want and we have been working behind the scenes. We have been busy while everyone else was talking about relegation, and now we can afford to go on holiday and take a bit of rest.”
Midfielders Richard Hachiro and Davison Marowa are understood to be among the players targeted, along with several unnamed foreign recruits. A major squad overhaul is expected as Makepekepe clear space for the new arrivals and push toward a fresh identity.
