eBusiness Weekly
Tadious Manyepo
Two years after announcing an ambitious commercialisation project, Premier Soccer League giants CAPS United, have fallen into a financial mire which is threatening even their mere existence.
So dire is the team’s situation as they have been deserted by their big name players after failing to settle salaries for the past three months.
While 17 other clubs in the top-flight have started training ahead of the league season resumption in three weeks’ time, the Green Machine are struggling to put together resources to enable the remainder of the players to at least begin practice sessions.
In fact Makepekepe have not yet gathered around their remaining players for Covid-19 tests as per regulations.
CAPS United authorities insist training is expected to start anytime soon.
“We will be starting our training sessions very soon.
“The problems that have been reported in the media have been addressed and we are ready to go,” said a source from the team.
But with about 80 percent of the players who were with the team last year already gone, CAPS United could be forced to settle for up-and-coming youngsters who will be keen to make a name for themselves.
The prevailing circumstances at the five-time league champions sharply contrast with the commercialisation gospel they were singing two years ago.
Club vice-president Nhamo Tutisani in 2020 told the media that they were on a mission to monetise the team.
“Football is big business and it’s
high time we start thinking and acting accordingly. CAPS United will starting now embark on a massive commercialisation project which will see us recruiting good marketable players who will
sign for the club for at least two years,” he said.
“We will then sell those players for a profit to other leagues regionally and internationally while we will also remain competitive.
“We have to compete on the field of play but also monetise football.
“We will run the team like a business forging commercial partners and implement robust financial policies which will see us operating on a profit.
“As we move towards this trajectory, we will also list on the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange.
“Now that will be serious business. We need to stand up, run the club like a business and be a model team.
“That is the direction we are taking as we move forward.
“For a long time we have been making losses at the team, running the club from our own pockets . . .”
But all that have failed to take off with CAPS United players revolting against non-payment of their salaries since November last year.
The team even failed to fulfil a league fixture against Black Rhinos in December after failing to transport the players for mandatory Covid-19 tests in the run-up to the match.
That tie has since been rescheduled for early February.
