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Petros Kausiyo Deputy Sports Editor
CRISIS-hit CAPS United are racing against time to ensure they pay players and avert a boycott of their Chibuku Super Cup showdown against FC Platinum at Mandava on Saturday.
CAPS United are expected to make the road trip to Zvisahavane tomorrow ahead of their second meeting against the platinum miners in as many weeks.
Last Saturday, Taurai Mangwiro and his men were at Mandava where they were handed a humiliating 0-6 drubbing in a ZNA Commander’s Charities Cup final.

It was a forgettable outing for both the club and the coach, with a disappointed Mangwiro later revealing that the Mandava nightmare had been the worst outing of his coaching career.

That massive defeat mirrored in-house problems that have been rocking CAPS United in the past week and are centred on the club’s failure to pay their players outstanding salaries and bonuses.

After the Mandava debacle in which three players were sent off, CAPS United — through their president Twine Phiri and public relations manager Joyce Kapota — indicated that they would resolve the crisis by paying the players this week.

The players who had not been paid by yesterday indicated that they would continue to train while waiting for management to address their grievances.
But the players also warned that they would not board the bus to Zvishavane in the event that the CAPS United chiefs fail to fulfil their pledge.

“The club president promised that he would sort things out between Tuesday and Wednesday, but there is still nothing. We had also been told that there was some money coming from Mr Jere (Farai) to pay the players.

“We understand that the president has gone to South Africa on PSL business so as players we will continue to train and we have taken a wait-and-see approach but we are saying if nothing is sorted out, then we will not travel to Zvishavane,’’ said the players.

Kapota admitted last night that they had not yet paid the players but insisted that her club’s management was running around to fulfil their obligations.
The CAPS United spokesperson, however, maintained that the problems had not affected the players’ morale arguing that there were some rich pickings in the Chibuku Super Cup which the Green Machine have targeted in a bid to atone for a long barren spell.

“We are still working flat out to resolve the issue. We said we would sort things out this week and it is only Wednesday today, so the week is not yet over.
“We will make sure we pay them before they leave on Friday for Zvishavane, otherwise the morale is very high in the camp because there is money to be made by winning the Chibuku Cup,’’ Kapota said.

The CAPS United against FC Platinum showdown will be the second of a Chibuku Super Cup double header which will be preceded by the clash between Chiredzi and Harare City.

Both matches will be beamed live on SuperSport and Kapota welcomed the fact that the games would be televised.
“We are happy that the games will be live on TV. We have not had some fair officiating at Mandava and I think the fact that the game will be live will also ensure that the referees are under scrutiny.

“We just want the match officiating to improve and for the games to be handled fairly,’’ Kapota said.
Kapota said she was confident that the club would soon put behind their problems and still battle for the league championship, the Chibuku Cup and the Mbada Diamonds Cup.

“We are still in the running for the championship and we want to put all this behind us. We would want the players to be motivated all the time and gun for the trophies that are still on offer, we would want to win the Mbada Diamonds Cup too if it is there,’’ Kapota said.

Sources close to the Makepekepe camp indicated yesterday that the club management was trying to secure funding on the basis that they would soon be paid their proceeds from the One Wallet Cup competition, which is set to be disbursed through the Premier Soccer League.

There is also a belief within the CAPS United family that the Chibuku Cup draw provides them with an opportunity to avenge for the half dozen goals that Norman Mapeza’s men pumped past goalkeeper Joram Muchambo.

Phiri has also been insisting that a solution will be found to the challenges plaguing the Premiership giants where apart from outstanding salaries, the club is battling to contain mounting discontent over long outstanding signing on fees.

The CAPS United president has blamed the tough economic environment in the country for his club’s woes, but there have been suggestions that as the major shareholder Phiri would also have to be innovative and find ways to survive including embracing partners to help out.

It promises to be a hectic day in the CAPS United administration corridors today as they seek to pay their players and ensure Mangwiro’s men retain their focus on the return to Mandava and the opportunity that it provides them to quickly redeem themselves.