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Eddie Chikamhi Senior Sports Reporter—
CAPS United president Farai Jere was yesterday left a livid man after the Green Machine settled for an unwanted record of being the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League’s most ill-disciplined side for the second year running. Jere was not amused that Makepekepe continue to fare badly on the PSL disciplinary log table and accumulated huge fines along away.

In the season under review, CAPS United gaffer Lloyd Chitembwe cost the club $3 000 in fines for snubbing the mandatory post-match interviews.

The 2016 Castle Lager Coach of the Year was a subject of numerous complaints from the media for persistently snubbing them and often delegating such key duties to his assistants — Fungai Kwashi and Mark Mathe.

Jere noted that CAPS United could have made better use of the money they paid in avoidable penalties by channelling it either to their players or junior structures and urged their supporters to desist from acts of violence which were costing the club.

“It is very disturbing when you have to lose funds from your league prize money because it has been deducted through fines that could have easily been avoided.

“These funds could have gone to pay some of the players whom we owe money. It is not pleasing to have a record of indiscipline and when as a club you have to lose around $20 000 in fines, then you have to really look at yourselves in the mirror.

“Surprisingly, some the fans who are most vocal in blaming the club management when we are late in paying the players are the same who are accruing these fines by throwing missiles,’’ Jere said.

In their message to the Green Machine fans, the CAPS United chiefs wrote on the club website urging fans to desist from acts of hooliganism.

“It is a sad and an unappealing development to note that CAPS United has been rated the worst disciplinary team for the 2017 soccer season by the Premier Soccer League.

“The negative gesture is hinged and revolves around pitch invasions, missile throwing and other unsporting behaviour exhibited by the fans during the just-ended season.

“Besides being labelled the worst team, the institution has also lost a lot of money due to fines as a result of such unwanted acts.

“The club however, appeals to the fans to desist from engaging in any behaviour that denigrates the CAPS United brand or any action that brings the name of the game into disrepute. As we enter into the 2018 season, we urge you to STOP:

• Throwing missiles into the pitch and towards match officials

• Invading the pitch either as an individual or as a group

• Any act that may cause the abandonment of a match, and

• Insulting or attacking players, coaches as well as match officials

• “Let us all financially save the club and save the brand CAPS United.

“One Vision. One Team. One Family,’’ CAPS United said.

As his club prepares to launch a string Premiership campaign with a bid to return to the Champions League, Jere said they need to have a culture of discipline on and off the field and also ensure they are not penalised by the Confederation of African Football.

CAF, just like PSL, deduct all fines from a club’s prize money for the specific competition under their charge.

More worryingly for Jere too is the fact that CAPS United have emerged as the undisputed kings of ill-discipline after they finished the 2017 season with the worst record in the Castle Lager Premier League Fair Play table.

Makepekepe finished at the bottom of the 18-team log standings with 685 cumulative points from the various penalties they incurred during the year.

The league penalises five points for every yellow card and 10 points apiece for a red card, delaying kick-off and for using wrong entry at a match venue among other offences.

There are even higher penalty points if a club is convicted by the Disciplinary Committee or gets fined for breaching the league’s standing orders.

A fine of $499 and less attracts 10 points while anything above $500 gets 30 points. And just like the previous season, when they ironically won the title despite being the dirtiest, Makepekepe this year were miles away from the rest of the pack with a massive 685 points.

Highlanders were next on 460 points as the log table released by the PSL yesterday revealed that the so called big teams are always found wanting in terms of discipline.

Chicken Inn (420), surprisingly Black Rhinos (330) and Dynamos (320) are the top five most ill-disciplined teams for 2017.

Triangle were the best team on the Fair Play table and were rewarded with a $10 000 prize at the recently held Soccer Stars awards banquet for their efforts in keeping the game clean.

Taurayi Mangwiro’s men accumulated 185 points and were followed by FC Platinum on 190 points as the most disciplined teams.

But Makepekepe continued on the negative and their record was even worse than what they did last season.

The bulk of their penalties this year came from disciplinary fines which amounted to 450 points.

The outgoing league champions were fined $2 000 and found guilty of causing the abandonment of their Chibuku Super Cup quarter-final match against Shabanie Mine at Maglas on October 8 when assistant referee, Thomas Kusosa, was struck by a missile from the bay housing the CAPS United supporters, with the official being injured in the process.

CAPS United were also not any better on the field of play where they raked the highest number of yellow cards after their players were cautioned joint 54 times in 34 games.

Makepekepe also appear to have paid dearly for the sins of their coach Chitembwe who on countless times refused to grant post match interviews to the media against the league regulations.

According to the PSL Standing Orders 12: Offences and Fines; “For failure or refusal to conduct a pre-match or post-match interviews by the head coach, captain or player, a fine of $125 will be imposed on the offending head coach, captain and player. The club will be fined $500.”

CAPS United’s bitter rivals Dynamos and Highlanders had their coaches regularly attending the post-match interviews but they were undone by the violent behaviour of their supporters apart from the cautions and the disciplinary fines.

Bosso got the most disciplinary fines.

Chicken Inn suffered heavily for the $2 500 fine that was imposed on their coach Rahman Gumbo for causing the abandonment of the Chibuku Super Cup match against newboys Yadah.