Caps United president Farai Jere has said they are putting together a strong team for next season after enduring a tough season during the just-ended campaign, where they finished without any silverware.
BY Kevin Mapasure
The Lloyd Chitembwe-coached side finished a disappointing eighth position on the league table, while they were also knocked out of the Chibuku Super Cup in the semi-finals by Harare City.
It was a season where Caps United suffered 10 defeats and finished a massive 30 points behind champions FC Platinum.
Caps United were much closer to the relegation zone than they were to the top, as they finished a mere 12 points above the relegation cut-off point.
They only managed 12 wins in the campaign and played as many draws and were a pale shadow of the side that won the top-flight championship in 2016.
With the situation difficult, apparently, in the past season, the Green Machine management has now gone into the market to find more quality in preparation for the 2019 season.
“I can assure you that next season will be different. Caps United will be a stronger team, competing for the league title,” Jere told NewsDaySport. “We had a difficult season this year, but we are already working towards improving and coming up with a strong side. Club vice-president Nhamo Tutisani and the chief executive officer (Cuthbert Chitima) are already working hard on the ground, and we have already agreed terms with a number of very good players. I am not directly involved at the moment, but these two guys have briefed me on what they are doing, and I can assure the Caps United fans that they are in for an exciting season next year. We are a big club, and we cannot afford to have another poor season like one that we have just gone through.”
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Jere also said Chitembwe was staying put at the club despite speculative reports linking him with a move to another club.
He acknowledged the need for his team to pull up for the new season as competition in the league had heightened.
“Our league is improving. Gone are the days of Highlanders, Caps and Dynamos dominating the league. You can also see that the teams coming in are strong and competitive.”
The Premier Soccer League chairman said the league desperately needed the traditional big-three to start firing for it to be commercially viable.
“Our attendance figures can only be better if Caps, Dynamos and Highlanders put their houses in order as the three represent the commercial value of the league. Highlanders were our cash cow this season, especially after they had a good start. It’s not a secret that if those teams play good football, we will have more money.
“We have said we have to make these clubs more competitive. Dynamos had poor crowds and in one of their matches that I attended; the fans in the stadium could barely fill up a quarter of the bay.”
He said despite the economic difficulties, the league had the potential to attract bigger crowds.
“It is not about the economy, Highlanders were getting good crowds when they were playing well and getting good results. These three teams should come up with strong teams that can compete.”
