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ECSTASY AND GLOOM . . . Yadah Stars players, led by skipper Jimmy Dzingai, celebrate the captain’s opening goal, while CAPS United players go through a painful soul-searching exercise at Morris Depot yesterday. — Pictures by Munyaradzi Chamalimba

Tedious Manyepo Sports Reporter
CAPS United have transfer-listed their captain Dennis Dauda after the controversy surrounding his behaviour in the lead up to yesterday’s Premiership tie against Yadah Stars.

The gangly defender, who captained the team was accused of insulting the club’s leadership, on the eve of the match and suggesting he was torn between a Green Machine that he accuses of not paying him for some time and Yadah.

A controversial post he posted on social media, just before yesterday’s game, sent the CAPS United camp into a soul-searching exercise amid suggestions he had deliberately under-performed in yesterday’s match.

Club chief executive, Cuthbert Chitima, told The Herald last night that Dauda was no longer part of their plans going forward and any team interested in his services should approach them for negotiations.

“CAPS United wishes to inform the football fraternity that Dennis Dauda has been transfer-listed and, given he is still contracted to us, anyone who wishes to engage him can come and negotiate with us so that we clear him to play for them,’’ said Chitima.

“As CAPS United, we owe it to our huge family to behave in a certain way that doesn’t compromise our professional standing and we owe it to the fans, who support us all the time, to always ensure that we do all our best to try and win every game that we play.

“Unfortunately, Dauda’s recent actions and what he has been posting on social media don’t fit the kind of professional that we want in our stable and that is why we have decided to end our relationship with him.”

The spectacular fallout between the skipper and the club started on Monday when Dauda allegedly humiliated the acting club chairman Mordecai Sanyangore and board member Willard Manyengavana after they had come to address the players at their training ground.

The duo wanted to provide assurance to the CAPS United players that the remainder of what they are owed in salaries, for half-a-month, would be paid soon and also that their partner, who promised to pay them allowances for the trip to Tunisia, would deliver on the promise.

But Dauda is reported to have responded violently to that address and told the duo to either provide the outstanding dues or the players would not fulfil yesterday’s match.

The club was forced to issue a statement yesterday, ahead of their match against Yadah, that the match would be fulfilled as expected. Later on Monday night, Dauda posted various messages on a WhatsApp group complaining that, “hama bhora rakurwadza iri . . . kuenda kuTunisia usina kanacent wodzoka hauna kana cent mumwe anenge achitoda kuona uchitamba futi inozoita here?

“Apa vamunenge muchitamba navo vanenge vachitoda nezvenyu, hahahaha zvakaoma apa unenge uchinzi under (those) difficult circumstances perform wonzwa pachitaurwa zvefighting spirit wotoshaya kuti ukufaita chii (you fight when you have something you fighting for) chine reward pamberi.

“Rakurwadza bhora iri apa Tuesday unenge uine vanhu varikuda kutopedza newe.’’ And when someone on that group suggested an alternative, Dauda said, “Manje hauna (mari) mudhara, but kuna kule vari kutengesa zvikwambo necheap price endai munotora mutipowo mari shungu ndadziona dziripo.’’

Dauda then posted on his Facebook page, just before yesterday’s game, saying “today we are playing my father’s team. I will do my best so (that) my father will be proud of me, we want a mean, no matter what (CAPS).’’

Yadah Stars

The screen shot of the post has since gone viral on social media platforms and attracted a lot of negative comments directed at the defender.

But he downplayed the controversy and instead chose to blame a combination of “some in-house squabbles and fatigue” for their shock slump in form.

“Obviously something is wrong at CAPS United. “We have a very good team, but it is very difficult to perform under the circumstances. There is something wrong,” he told The Herald. “We have been beaten clean because something is not right. But above all I would like to say fatigue has taken a toll over the team.

“How do you expect a team which spent 24-hours in the plane to perform after only having had to rest for two days? “It is always very difficult to perform under those circumstances. We are always on the pitch playing soccer so I honestly think that has impacted very negatively on us.

“Last Wednesday we were in Tunisia for CAF Champions League against Al Ahli Tripoli, today (yesterday) we are facing Yadah and five days later (on Sunday) we are playing Zamalek. I think fatigue has caught up with us.

“After losing two matches on the trot, I think our confidence is very low and something needs to be done. We can relaunch our faltering league campaign, but only when we sort out what needs to be sorted out.”