CAPS United dissolves executive, appoints six-man board

CAPS United have dissolved their executive and appointed a six-man board of directors in a boardroom reshuffle that club president, Twine Phiri, believes will bring financial stability and help them challenge for honours, including the league championship, next season.

The Green Machine have not won the championship, since Charles Mhlauri sealed back-to-back titles in 2005 and have lived in the shadows of their bitter rivals Dynamos who have won four league titles, including three on the trot, since Makepekepe were last crowned champions.

CAPS United battled courageously this season, but came out empty-handed after crashing in the semi-finals of the Mbada Diamonds Cup and coming short in the league championship race although analysts believe their cause wasn't helped by the disruptions brought by a spate of industrial action by the players in a tough operating environment for the club.

Some of their fans believe Makepekepe would have won the championship, had their players remained focused on the mission without the disturbances caused by the financial challenges that kept stalking the club, which lost them precious points at Shabanie Mine and against Black Mambas.

Although the majority of the Premiership clubs struggled under the strain of a difficult environment, where operational funds were limited and the costs were huge, CAPS United were one of the worst affected clubs and limped from one crisis to the other but, to their credit, fought a good battle for their fans.

Club president, Phiri, who is also the Premier Soccer League chief, told The Herald yesterday that CAPS United had to bring in people who could help the club tap into new sources of funds, to underwrite the operational costs, and ensure the club's campaign next season wasn't hampered by the financial challenges that stalked them throughout this year.

The six-man board of directors will be expected to help mobilise resources for the club, come up with a vision that will help the Green Machine find its way back to success, guide the team on a path that will enhance its professionalism and make its brand attractive to sponsors once again.

While their main rivals, Dynamos and Highlanders, are both bankrolled by BancABC, which has helped bring stability to the two giants, CAPS United don't have a flagship sponsor and sourcing funds to foot the huge operational costs, against a background of declining attendance figures at their home matches, has been a complex and frustrating exercise for the club's leadership.

BancABC pays the salaries of the DeMbare and Bosso playing staff and coaching personnel, which is their biggest chunk of operational costs, while CAPS United have had to rely on well-wishers to complement the meagre sums that the club derives from their gate receipts.
Phiri announced yesterday that he has appointed a six-member board he hopes will help CAPS United in a very big way next year.

The members of the board are prominent lawyer Lewis Uriri, who has served CAPS United in a different capacity in the past, Alex Munyaka, Nhamo Tutisani, Mordecai Sachikonye, Khumbulani Mhlope and Munyaradzi Mazhande.

Mhlope is president of Sojama Economic Development Institute, a member of the Economic Development Institute of Zimbabwe and was part of the Zimbabwe delegation at the Sixth All-Africa Investment Forum in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, last month, will take care of the commercial portfolio at the club.

Uriri brings in his wealth of legal expertise, Tutisani will handle marketing, Sachikonye, a loyal CAPS United son who has been the team doctor for years, will handle the technical wing, Munyaka will handle the fans and Mazhande has the mission to help this club tap into technology as part of boosting its brand.

"I have confidence that we have put in place a board, which has men of integrity, who will make a big difference at CAPS United," Phiri said yesterday.

"The board will also be expected to mobilise resources for the club and also chart the way that we have to follow as a team in our mission to compete very well, from next year, and give our fans something to cheer their spirits.

"While CAPS United competed very well this year, the club didn't grow as a brand or as a business and we hope these men whom we have tasked with helping us, to move forward, will make that difference.

"It has not been an easy season for us, we suffered because of a lack of funds, and we want to try and make sure that we will be in a very good financial position, come next year, so that we can compete at the same level with our major rivals.

"We expect to challenge for honours next season and we are targeting the league championship."
Phiri also revealed that the executive that has been running the team this year has been dissolved and its members will have to be interviewed by the new board to get a fresh mandate to return to their positions. Joe Makuvire, the club chief executive, was head of the executive.

"The professionals that we have brought on board believe that is the best way to do things, every key member of the club has to be interviewed by the board and he has to sell them his vision and, only after that, will that person's position be confirmed," said Phiri.

"I'm quite sure a number of them, including the chief executive who has done well this year, will be able to get through the processes without any problems and then quickly get down to business ahead of the forthcoming season.

"The head coach, Taurai Mangwiro, has already done his interview with the board and the two parties agreed that he is the right man to keep leading the team and he will be in charge of our coaching staff next year.

"Tau also wanted guarantees, the main one being that the club will ensure that he retains the majority of the players that he worked with this year because he has a lot of confidence in those players and believes that if they can have another year together, they can win some big things.

"That assurance was given, we intend to retain most of our players, and the other issue that was dealt with involved Tau's assistant, Saul Chaminuka, because there have been reports in the newspapers claiming that he could be moving elsewhere.

"Tau said that, as far as he is concerned, he will be working with Saul come next season, nothing has been said to Tau or us about the assistant coach leaving the club and, as far as we are concerned, he is one of us and will be in our plans for next season."