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Petros Kausiyo Deputy Sports Editor
CAPS United president Farai Jere has laid down the law for the Green Machine, challenging them to win at least one major piece of silverware by the end of this season and underline their reputation as one of the country’s Premiership giants.

Jere yesterday led his club’s management and supporters in welcoming six new players that have been brought in during the mid-season transfer window and immediately declared that they feel the acquisitions had strengthened their side as they look to mount an even stronger challenge in the championship race in their remaining 14 games.

Caps United are currently sixth, with 25 points from 16 games, five behind leaders Chicken Inn and Jere believes they have the capacity to climb up the ladder and even challenge for the Premiership title.

The Caps United president said in the event that they failed to win the league title, they should win one of the major cups that will be on offer this season.

“The first objective of getting all these players is to bring honours to Caps United. We believe there are two cups coming and we need to have one of those cups at least.

“A club like Caps United should not finish the season without anything,’’ Jere said.

The Caps United boss also insisted that the club’s management had made the massive mid-season acquisitions in close consultation with coach Mark Mathe and his technical crew.

“We spoke to the coaches and they had their targets and we also made some recommendations for them to consider’’.

Jere also threw down the gauntlet on his players to ensure they end the dominance that bitter rivals Dynamos have had over them in the last six years is broken.

It is against this background that Jere reckoned that the experience which the returning pair of versatile players Method Mwanjali and Oscar Machapa would also help to spice up their famous derby clashes against DeMbare.

“We want to bring back the spirit of the derbies and Oscar and Method have never lost to Dynamos. Of course, a derby is not the whole league rave, but beating Dynamos means a lot in terms of Caps United history; it gives us the bragging rights.

“We need players who understand the derby spirit and for six years we have been playing in the shadows of Dynamos and we want to end that’’.

Jere also explained that they had put on hold the unveiling of striker Dominic Chungwa until negotiations with DeMbare had been finalised.

“We are still negotiating with Dynamos. We could not unveil him today although he attended the function because it would be unethical to do so before negotiations are finalised. We are happy with the progress of talks so far and it is being done in the same spirit we had when we released Roderick Mutuma to them’’.

Jere said Caps United had also raided the market because they still had a number of slots to fill after a difficult start to the season during which they even failed to sign centre-back Justice Jangano at the first attempt.

But yesterday, Jangano, who made his Warriors debut in the African Cup of Nations tie against Malawi in Blantyre, was one of the players who were handed Caps United jerseys by Jere yesterday and presented to the media, the club management and a sizeable number of fans who turned up for the event.

That huge turn up by Caps United fans also charmed Jere, who implored them to show their solidarity with the team by coming to the National Sports Stadium for the clash against Harare City and subsequent matches.

Earlier at the same function, Caps United board member technical Modercai Sachikonye chronicled the turbulent times that the team swam through, but noted that the god times were now rolling at the club.

Sachikonye, just like Jere also wants Makepekepe to reclaim their “Cup Kings’’ tag and remained hopeful that the new players would add to the quality which is already at the club.

Jere dispelled fears of a major clear-out at Caps United and said the club was actually short on playing personnel.

“Only three or four players will leave, but at the moment our squad has 28 players and there is still room for two more. We still have the striker from Cameroon whom the coaches are still considering and will respect their decision on any player,’’ Jere said.

The Caps United secretariat under chief executive Joe Makuvire was also understood to be making frantic efforts for much of yesterday to ensure that they complete the registration of the new players with the Premier Soccer League in time for their Week 17 derby clash against Harare City.

After the two sides drew 0-0 on June 27 at Rufaro in a game which Mathe felt was a tale of two halves, with the Sunshine Boys dominating the first, either side will be itching for full points now.

There is also an interesting twist to the encounter, however, in that Harare City coach Taurai Mangwiro not only left Caps United at the start of the season, but he took with him his key backroom staff Mike “Dread’’ Madzivanyika and Mkhuphali Masuku as well as seasoned goalkeeper Tafadzwa Dube and midfielder Tendai Samanja.

With Harare City just a rung below Caps United and two points behind the Green machine, Mangwiro, whose side have drawn half the number the 16 games they have played, has his own pressure to deal with to pacify a restless Sunshine Boys camp that believes they should have been much higher up the log table.