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Petros Kausiyo Deputy Sports Editor
IN line with their ambitious drive to turn professional and lead the way in meeting FIFA’s club licensing requirements, CAPS United yesterday announced a restructuring of their management with more expert personnel brought in to strengthen the Premiership giants ahead of the 2016 season.

CAPS United also revealed that they were satisfied with the work done by coach Lloyd Chitembwe and his technical crew and also rewarded the club legend with a three-year contract.

There has been no doubting that CAPS United are no longer content with just being part of a group of also-rans in the domestic Premiership in which they have uncharacteristically gone for a lengthy spell — spanning over six years — without winning any major silverware.

That barren spell has been a serious indictment on a club which was revered as the “Cup Kings’’ of the local game.

But there has been a feel good factor at CAPS United and their strong finish in the championship race in which they edged Triangle into fourth place seems to point to the good times rolling back again.

Club president Farai Jere, who has been overseeing the massive transformation of the Harare giants since assuming majority ownership of CAPS United, yesterday revealed a new set-up in a restructuring exercise which the Green Machine’s shareholders believe will match their ambitions.

Jere and fellow shareholders Nhamo Tutisani and Twine Phiri will now make up the club’s presidency with the board of directors, chaired by Harare lawyer Lewis Uriri, being strengthened to facilitate more effective administration of Makepekepe.

The Green Machine leadership has made no secret of their intentions to make the club the Premiership’s leading brand and it is in line with that ambition that Jere announced that banker Desmund Ali, Gunners boss Cuthbert Chitima and Northern Region chairman Willard Manyengavana have been roped into the board.

Ali, who many in the football family remember for the sterling job he did in running the BancABC Supr8 tournament and for his ambitious youth outfit Ali Sundowns, comes in as the board member finance.

Manyengavana, who traces his football roots to CAPS United, has been appointed the board member in charge of operations.

Chitima, whose Gunners project has for years been a bastion of developing junior players churning out many talented footballers, will assume the role of board member development.

The trio of Ali, Manyengavana and Chitima come on board to strengthen a vibrant board that has been led by Uriri and also includes the board member in charge of technical Mordecai Sachikonye, Alois Bunjira (marketing) and the pair of Abraham Kawadza and Alex Munyaka (supporters).

Jere also said CAPS United would soon appoint a new chief executive with incumbent Joe Makuvire moving into the marketing arm of the Premiership giants.

“All the shareholders are part of the presidency and we cannot be part of the board now, on our part we will only attend such events like the annual general meeting or extraordinary general meeting.

“Our long-term ambitions also include cutting down on the cost of buying players because we would actually want to identify, nurture and then sell our own players and in line with that we believe Chitima will help us a lot.

“We have our scout Rwafa who will work under Chitima. Chitima has an eye for juniors and it is our plan that we can have talented young players being roped into the senior team so all the young players will be turning out for Gunners as the development side for CAPS United.

“With this arrangement it means we are not going to shut the door on talented young players because they will have an opportunity to play for Gunners as part of the CAPS United family,’’ Jere said.

This is not the first time that CAPS United have had a development side playing in the Division One League.

In a memorable era when they won back-to-back championships under Charles Mhlauri in 2004 and 2005, CAPS United had an academy side that played in the Eastern Region Division One, which gave a platform for such players like Masset Zengeni, Danger Fourpence and Lionel Mtizwa.

Interestingly, Chitembwe was part of the technical set-up which Mhlauri led and the former CAPS United midfield hard man had a different Christmas present from the club yesterday with Jere revealing that they had granted the coach a three-year deal.

“Basically, the coach was on probation and he has satisfied us with his work and we have signed a three-year contract with him.

“In pursuit of our professional goals we have also given three-year contracts to Lloyd’s assistant, Mark Mathe, and the rest of the technical department, so no one is leaving CAPS United come 2016,’’ Jere said.

Before turning to the management restructuring, CAPS United had already hit the ground running on the transfer market with the Green Machine luring back the pair of left wingback Ronald Pfumbidzai and big goalkeeper Edmore Sibanda.

Castle Premiership Soccer Star of the Year for 2014 Dennis Dauda has also joined CAPS United with the spike-haired defender arriving from ZPC Kariba.

CAPS United had in mid-season also welcomed back their former skipper Method Mwanjali and striker Simba Nhivi and with payers like Raphael Manuvire being targeted, more arrivals could join the Green Machine before pre-season preparations begin.

Given their penchant for Malawian players, CAPS United, who in the past have brought in players such as Joseph Kamwendo, Hadji Tambala and Gerald Phiri, could also lure more men from the lake country.