Chunga to play a weakened team against Caps United

HARARE City are set to attract the anger of Highlanders and FC Platinum fans when they send a number of greenhorn players into their Castle Lager Premier League match against Caps United at Rufaro tomorrow.

The Sunshine Boys are one of three hurdles which the Green Machine must leap for them to win their first league championship in 11 years.

Moses Chunga and his men blew the championship race wide open when they defeated FC Platinum 2-1 at Rufaro a few weeks ago, a result that helped Caps to assume leadership of the championship race.

With Bosso and the Zvishavane miners hoping for Harare City to derail Makepekepe's challenge, Chunga announced yesterday that he will field a number of young players as part of their preparations for next season.

Chunga bravely put regulars, Ronald Chitiyo and Raphael Manuvire, on the bench during the tie against FC Platinum and said his team will field more young players.

"We are playing for the three points at stake," said Chunga.

"We are excited as Harare City because we have a programme that we would want to see coming to fruition.

"The last three games of the season our youngsters will be heavily involved. It will be sort of initiating them from boyhood to manhood.

"The coincidence is that we happen to play Caps at the most crucial part of their championship race. We have our own agenda.

"We have a development programme that we have been running at Harare City with myself as head of the technical team and Elvis Chiweshe as director of development.

"We have been working very well with my colleagues from the juniors up to the first team. There are proper and well defined structures and right now we have around 50 players coming from development. I think you have already seen some of them in action.

"It's a massive programme which has produced quality. I am sure many teams will benefit from that as well because we will need to loan out some of the players next season."

Chunga, who was given a new contract last week, said he had a vision to build a team for the future.

Already, he has given game time to youngsters such as Learnmore Muyambo, Tatenda Tumba, Sean Muneka, Jerry Chipangura and even appointed 20-year-old defender Hastings Chapusha the new captain as he creates Kidznet II.

The youngsters will be blended with some few experienced players to guarantee results so that they finish on a respectable position.

Chunga is a former Caps coach but was pushed out of the team after falling out with some of the club's fans who accused him of being a Dynamos sympathiser who did not have the long-term interests of their club at heart.

But the gaffer says he is not a man who is driven by what happened in the past and his only mission, right now, is to ensure he delivers for Harare City.

He has a good supporting structure at the club which is under the leadership of former Dynamos treasurer Alois Masepe.

Harare City are currently seventh on the log standings with 38 points. Makepekepe on the other hand are targeting their first championship in 11 years.

They lead the log standings with 54 points, one ahead of Highlanders who host Tsholotsho at Barbourfields tomorrow.

The third team in the race FC Platinum travel to Chapungu hoping to close the two point gap between them and Makepekepe.