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SEEING RED . . . Cuthbert Chitima is not amused at having to lose a big percentage of the CAPS United prize money through PSL fines

Petros Kausiyo Deputy Sports Editor—

CHAMPIONS CAPS United were yesterday crying foul over the decision by the Premier Soccer League to deduct a huge chunk of money from their Castle Lager Championship prize to offset the fines that Makepekepe have been accruing over the years.CAPS United yesterday received their prize money for winning the ultimate prize in domestic football.

While success in such campaign would normally ensure the winners would be smiling all the way to the bank, it was certainly not the case for the CAPS United management yesterday after the PSL docked them $20 800 in fines from their $100 00 prize.

CAPS United are due to hold their club awards tonight but their spirits appeared to have been dampened by the “hardline stance’’ taken by the league in deducting the prize money they had been banking on to reward their players.

The Players had been promised 50 percent of the prize money.

CAPS United chief executive Cuthbert Chitima said last night that his management would engage the PSL through chief executive Kenny Ndebele to have the top-flight body review their stance.

Chitima said the PSL needed to consider CAPS United’s plight against the background of a tough operating environment in which the champions used $800 000 in order to win the league title and the $100 000 cheque that comes with it.

It is the decision by the PSL to deduct $10 000 in fines previously accrued by the club which Chitima was not particularly amused with.

“They are saying we have historical fines amounting to $10 000 that have been carried over but we are saying it is a little too harsh to garnish all the fines at once.

“Our players were looking to be rewarded handsomely from this prize money and soon after New Year we will be starting our Champions League preparations and surely getting $79 200 from the prize money is not exciting at all but it instead complicate matters for us.

“What hurt us the most is the deduction of the 10 percent of gross for the historical fines.

“If they had deducted a percentage of the actual fine, we would have understood it better.

“So we are no doubt going to engage the PSL over this matter as we believe they should be a bit more flexible.

“We are in the league to stay and we can always pay off the fines as the season progresses,’’ Chitima said.

Chitima said they would have welcomed a scenario where the PSL led the way for other potential sponsors by reserving a package that would assist the team that would have won the championship to prepare for the continental onslaught.

CAPS United president Farai Jere has won the admiration of many neutrals for the sacrifices that he made in the just ended season to ensure the Green Machine not only stayed afloat but that Lloyd Chitembwe’s men battled their way to the title.

In winning the title, CAPS United ended 11 years of waiting to be crowned the kings of local football and there is a huge degree of optimism within the club that Chitembwe and his men could make a huge impact on their return to continental football.

But for CAPS United to dream of at least making it to the group stage of the Champions League, whose prize money was recently increased by the Confederation of African Football, they would need all the financial and material resources they can lay their hands on.

It is against this background that CAPS United are feeling aggrieved at having to lose $20 800 of the prize money through statutory fines.

Ndebele last night said he was still to receive the CAPS United plea but hinted that the top-flight body would consider the protest should it come through.

“I have not seen anything yet from them. If they have any queries they would have to write a letter and we get the finance committee to look into their request,’’ Ndebele said.

Ndebele said the move to deduct fines from prize money is a result of resolution agreed to by the club presidents who form the PSL’s board of governors.

“The fines were deducted in line with the Standing Orders and fines and Board of Governors resolution,’’ Ndebele said.

But away from their queries over the PSL decision, CAPS United were by last night putting final touches to their awards night at which the likes of Castle Soccer Star of the Year Hardlife Zvirekwi will be hoping to make it a double of personal accolades.

Morton Dodzo, the CAPS United administrative manager, said “all is in place now for us to reward the entire individual who excelled in making 2016 a successful year for us’’.

Apart from Zvirekwi there were several strong performers this year from the team with the likes of Stephen Makatuka, Phineas Bhamusi, Denis Dauda, Devon Chafa, Tafadzwa Rusike, Jorum Muchambo and Simba Nhivi playing a major role for the club.