ZPC Kariba have reportedly agreed terms with Caps United coach Lloyd Chitembwe as the electricity men battle to prise away the championship-winning coach from the Harare football giants ahead of the next term.
BY TAWANDA TAFIRENYIKA
While Chitembwe has reportedly agreed to join the Kariba-based side, the consummation of the deal can only be done after he has weaned himself from his running two-year contract with Caps United, which the parties believe can be done well before pre-season starts.
Caps United owe Chitembwe and his players signing-on fees as well as salaries and winning bonuses — a situation which has compromised the Harare giants who are desperate to retain their coach.
ZPC Kariba are understood to be manipulating the “loophole” in a bid to entice Chitembwe as a replacement for Sunday Chidzambwa.
Chidzambwa’s contract with ZPC Kariba runs out on December 31, and the club has decided against renewing the coach’s contract as they have set their sights on Chitembwe, who won the Premier Soccer League title with Caps United last year.
Chitembwe, who had reportedly been in contact with ZPC Kariba officials through a representative, was spotted at a Harare hotel where he met directly with club secretary Robert Mamvura around 10am on Friday together with several Caps United players who are also linked to the move to ZPC Kariba.
Contacted for comment, Mamvura said his meeting with Chitembwe was not by design but accidental.
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“We normally use that hotel when we come to Harare and Caps United players also use the same hotel so when we came for the awards ceremony, we found them at the hotel,” Mamvura said yesterday. “It was a coincidence. There is nothing really.
Besides, we are on talking terms with Caps United and I even speak to club president Farai Jere. We have a coach with a running contract. We are a public company and have nothing to hide. We will make an announcement if there is any change to our technical team.”
Chitembwe refused to comment. “I am not commenting. You can go ahead and write whatever you got,” he said.
The two parties have tried hard to keep everything under wraps considering that Chitembwe’s impending exit from Caps United could turn out to be nasty as he is reported to have assured the Green Machine that he would be staying.
Chitembwe is riding on his success with Caps United after winning the league title last season and also had a good run in the Caf Champions League in which they reached the lucrative group stage, the first time in the club’s history.
He has been reportedly demanding a hefty package, which he believes he deserves after his stock rose recently.
With reports suggesting the Caps players are owed about three months’ salaries and allowances, some well -resourced clubs including Yadah FC are reportedly targeting some of their players.
Club chief executive Cuthbert Chitima, in an address to the players last week, however, assured them that they would get their dues this week as they hope to have received part of the prize money for their participation in the African Champions League.
Caps United earned themselves a staggering $550 000 after defying the odds stacked against them to reach the lucrative group stage of the Champions League for the first time in their history and were paid half of the money.
However, the balance had not yet been disbursed since the conclusion of the tournament on November 4 in Morocco, where Wydad Casablanca clinched the prestigious trophy after edging Egyptian giants Al Ahly 1-0.
With the two teams having drawn 1-1 on October 28 in Alexandria, it meant the Moroccan giants lifted the trophy on a 2-1 aggregate victory.
Caps United are also expected to tie down several of their players whose contracts will run out on December 31.
