×
NewsDay

AMH is an independent media house free from political ties or outside influence. We have four newspapers: The Zimbabwe Independent, a business weekly published every Friday, The Standard, a weekly published every Sunday, and Southern and NewsDay, our daily newspapers. Each has an online edition.

‘Zikeeper’ out amid Yadah links

Sport
CAPS United first choice goalkeeper Edmore “ZiKeeper” Sibanda will miss the Castle Lager Premiership tie against How Mine at the National Sports Stadium tonight amid reports linking him with Yadah FC.

CAPS United first choice goalkeeper Edmore “ZiKeeper” Sibanda will miss the Castle Lager Premiership tie against How Mine at the National Sports Stadium tonight amid reports linking him with Yadah FC.

BY TAWANDA TAFIRENYIKA

Edmore “ZiKeeper” Sibanda
Edmore “ZiKeeper” Sibanda

The match, which had been thrown into uncertainty, will now go ahead as scheduled after the Caps United trio of Ronald “Rooney” Chitiyo, Abbas Amidu and Moses Muchenje were released from the Warriors camp ahead of the match.

The match kicks off at 7pm.

The Green Machine veteran goalkeeper has not been reporting for training in the past two days.

And yesterday, he was engaged in several meetings with club chief executive Cuthbert Chitima, giving credence to reports suggesting he could be considering his future elsewhere. However, Chitima rubbished the reports and insisted the player was nursing an injury and would play for the side once he regains full fitness.

“There is no issue with Eddie. He is injured and will play once he recovers,” Chitima said.

Another player, Phineas Bhamusi, a menacing winger who thrives on pace and widely regarded as one of the most speedy forwards on the domestic league at the moment, is also reportedly angling to join Yadah FC, who are now home to defender and former KepeKepe vice-captain Dennis Dauda.

Chitima, however, had earlier dismissed it as mere transfer window talk.

“This is just speculation. It’s mere transfer window talk. There is nothing like that. We have all our players. We don’t have any player going to any local club. We only have those that are being linked with moves to foreign clubs,” he had said earlier.

“We have, however, not received any official communication from those clubs. We can only give you a comment when we have been contacted directly by the clubs interested in the players. But to say there are players who are moving to Yadah or any local club is not true.”

The players who have been linked with moves to foreign clubs are Ronald “Rooney” Chitiyo and Abbas Amidu, with Egyptian giants Zamalek said to be interested.

Caps United are playing catch-up in the league, having been pre-occupied with their African Champions League campaign.

They were booted out of the prestigious tournament at the group stage, the first time for the Green Machine to play at that level in their history.

Caps have played just nine matches in the Premiership, while some clubs have played 17.

After the clash against How Mine, they are set to travel to Bulawayo on Saturday to face Bulawayo City.

That match is, however, likely to be postponed as their three players will rejoin the Warriors, who are preparing for the African Nations Championship qualifier against Namibia at the National Sports Stadium on Sunday.

PSL communications officer, Kudzai Bare said yesterday Caps United could defer the match against Bulawayo City on Saturday.

Besides Sibanda, Chitembwe has got the rest of the squad at his disposal, as he seeks the scalp of How Mine, having lost their last league match against Yadah.

Caps United know all too well they will have to put together a string of wins if they are to catch up with the leading pack that includes Black Rhinos, Dynamos and Ngezi Platinum Stars.