Chronicle Editor
Sikhumbuzo Moyo, Senior Sports Reporter
IN January our Harare Bureau carried a screaming headline, “Caps sign 17 players, hunt for more”, with Caps United vice-president Nhamo Tutisani declaring that players were integral to their project.
The Caps United bosses indicated that from this season going forward, the club was adopting a commercial approach after parting with a massive 14 players of the team that almost clinched the 2019 Castle Lager Premier Soccer League championship.
The side parted with the players, saying they were part of a disappointing story after Caps United collapsed on the home straight, allowing FC Platinum to pip them to the title. They even failed to secure the runners-up position, which went to Chicken Inn on the final day of the season.
The Green Machine went on to sign Ishmael Wadi, Tatenda Tumba and Munyaradzi Diro-Nyenye from Harare City, while Innocent Mucheneka joined from Chicken Inn, with Leeroy Mavhunga and Enock Karembo leaving Yadah.
Goalkeeper Wallace Magalane, Munyaradzi Kanyarimwe, Tafadzwa Jaravani and Carlos Mavhurume were also part of the mass recruitment.
Tutisani said they intended to unlock their potential and become a big brand and the club would be guided by tenets of corporate governance.
“We cannot be seen to be associating our club with ill-mannered players who can’t give the team returns. We are changing our thrust in terms of doing business,” Tutisani said then.
However, a few months down the line, Caps United has turned into total chaos after angry players besieged Tutisani’s offices demanding their salaries in a dramatic turn of events in which he was almost manhandled.
The players claimed they had not been paid for two months.
Tutisani reportedly locked himself inside his Eastlea offices and the players barricaded the door. The tension was only defused by the arrival of police.
Tutisani threatened winger Phineas Bhamusi and striker John Zhuwau with expulsion from the club and some players demanded their dues or clearance letters to seek employment elsewhere.
Although it’s clear that Caps United’s problems were compounded by the unexpected pullout of NetOne as principal sponsor and the Covid-19 lockdown, Caps United are also to blame for their problems.
They invaded the local market and dumped loyal players that almost gave them the league title last season.
This doesn’t in anyway suggest that the dumped players would have not demanded salaries but the fact is that the new players obviously came at a huge cost. Signing on fees aren’t cheap and the club obviously had to provide accommodation for some players.
Football is business and has risks associated with it as Caps United are witnessing now.
Their massive recruitment is now haunting them in a way they certainly hadn’t anticipated in January.
While the Caps United house burns, other clubs without strong financial backing should seek ways of finding alternative sources of income in the event the lockdown is prolonged.
Online Reporter