Sports / Soccer
Chicken coach selling Caps United replica jerseys
27 Mar 2016 at 10:43hrs | Views
CHICKEN Inn's championship winning coach Joey Antipas is openly selling Caps United replica jerseys in a move that has raised eyebrows.
The Bulawayo-based coach was observed selling a Caps United jersey to a supporter, fishing the Green Machine's replica from the driver's seat of his car last Thursday.
Ironically, the transaction took place outside Chicken Inn offices at the corner of Fort Street and 11th Avenue.
The Caps United fan was directed to Antipas after making an inquiry on where he could buy the team's replicas in Bulawayo from Joma Sports' Facebook page.
Contacted for comment on the arrangement, an unperturbed Antipas said his company Patriarch Princets was the official distributor of Joma Sportswear who had entered into a kit deal with Caps last year.
Although he initially said he was supplying various sports apparel made by Joma to sports shops in the city, he later admitted to selling the merchandise directly after being pressed over the incident.
Antipas said he was also selling national team replicas including hoodies, tights and a range of sportswear made by Joma, and did not see anything "amiss" about that.
Asked about the apparent conflict of interest, the championship winning coach said he was simply running his own company and it did not have an impact on his performance at Chicken Inn.
The Caps fan who bought the jersey said he was shocked to learn that the person who was selling him the replica was Antipas, the Chicken Inn coach.
"I sent a message to the Joma officials on their Facebook page asking where I can get the replica in Bulawayo and they gave me Antipas' number but it didn't occur to me it was him.
"So when I realised he was the one I had been talking to on the phone it was shocking.
"How can a competitor's coach sell our jerseys? But I didn't ask him about it. If he had directed me to a shop it would have been understandable but I bought it directly from him and he had the jerseys in his vehicle," said the fan.
Antipas insisted even if it had been either Highlanders or Dynamos who had reached a contract with Joma he would sell their replicas.
Moreover, Chicken Inn chairman Lifa Ncube said they were aware of the arrangement and did not have any problem with it. Caps have since signed a new kit deal with Roar.
The Bulawayo-based coach was observed selling a Caps United jersey to a supporter, fishing the Green Machine's replica from the driver's seat of his car last Thursday.
Ironically, the transaction took place outside Chicken Inn offices at the corner of Fort Street and 11th Avenue.
The Caps United fan was directed to Antipas after making an inquiry on where he could buy the team's replicas in Bulawayo from Joma Sports' Facebook page.
Contacted for comment on the arrangement, an unperturbed Antipas said his company Patriarch Princets was the official distributor of Joma Sportswear who had entered into a kit deal with Caps last year.
Although he initially said he was supplying various sports apparel made by Joma to sports shops in the city, he later admitted to selling the merchandise directly after being pressed over the incident.
Antipas said he was also selling national team replicas including hoodies, tights and a range of sportswear made by Joma, and did not see anything "amiss" about that.
The Caps fan who bought the jersey said he was shocked to learn that the person who was selling him the replica was Antipas, the Chicken Inn coach.
"I sent a message to the Joma officials on their Facebook page asking where I can get the replica in Bulawayo and they gave me Antipas' number but it didn't occur to me it was him.
"So when I realised he was the one I had been talking to on the phone it was shocking.
"How can a competitor's coach sell our jerseys? But I didn't ask him about it. If he had directed me to a shop it would have been understandable but I bought it directly from him and he had the jerseys in his vehicle," said the fan.
Antipas insisted even if it had been either Highlanders or Dynamos who had reached a contract with Joma he would sell their replicas.
Moreover, Chicken Inn chairman Lifa Ncube said they were aware of the arrangement and did not have any problem with it. Caps have since signed a new kit deal with Roar.
Source - sundaynews
