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after the former Zimbabwe captain stormed out of a routine meeting to discuss the team’s defeat to Dynamos in a Bob 87 Super Cup tie at Rufaro on Sunday.
The 45-year-old coach walked out of the meeting after objecting to concerns raised about the team’s fitness levels, ahead of the start of the 2011 Castle Lager Premiership campaign, and protesting that such reviews were tantamount to an attack on his credibility as a coach.
He told The Herald that while his decision to storm out of the meeting did not mean he had quit the club, he was seriously considering his options.
CAPS United slumped to a painful 2-3 defeat on Sunday and, given their bitter rivalry with Dynamos, the loss has led to soul-searching within a Green Ma-chine family desperate to end their six-year wait for league championship honours.
A dramatic day for Makepekepe started when the club’s players refused to train, on their first meeting after Sunday’s defeat, in protest over the payment of their dues from the prize money tabled by organisers of the challenge match.
CAPS United received US$30 000 in cash, the same as Dynamos, after President Mugabe donated US$60 000, which was outside the prize money promised by the organisers, to the two giants for their participation in the Bob 87 Super Cup showdown.
While the two teams received US$25 000 each on Sunday, they were given a further US$5 000 each on Monday to complete their share from the Presidential donation.
The Green Machine split the donation between the club and the players and their technical staff.
But yesterday CAPS United players refused to train in protest over their share from the US$15 000, which the organisers had promised would be given to the losing team.
Dynamos, as winners of the challenge match, are scheduled to receive US$25 000.
There were concerns, among the CAPS United players, that the club had received its share of US$15 000, but had not passed either part, or the whole prize money, to the playing staff and their coaches, leading to yesterday’s stand-off at training.
However, the organiser of the match Stan Kasukuwere, announced last night that there was no need for either team to panic because their share of the prize money would be disbursed as soon as the organising team completes all formalities related to the match.
Chunga confirmed yesterday that he walked out of a club meeting to discuss Sunday’s loss to Dynamos after feeling betrayed by concerns raised over his team’s fitness levels and its shape during that game.
“I am the head of the technical department and I feel that when certain technical issues start to be questioned by the team’s leaders, then it’s also tantamount to them questioning my credibility as coach,” said Chunga.
“I have my own principles and I will not compromise them whether I am at CAPS United or any other team because that is the way Moses Chunga is.
“We need to trust each other and work as a team if we want this club to succeed but when doubts start to be thrown around about the work that the coach is doing, how he is preparing the team, its fitness levels and other technical issues, you know we are no longer working as a unit.”
Chunga said he was weighing his options.
“I haven’t made any decision yet about my future at CAPS United, but I can tell you that there are too many things on my mind right now,” said Chunga.
“Maybe I need time to be on my own right now and think about what is best for me and when I make my decision you will get to know.”
CAPS United director Farai Jere said yesterday’s dramatic turn of events were regrettable.
“I called the meeting with the coach because I wanted to discuss the possibility of us getting a defender, before the season starts, because I felt that we were exposed at the back against Dynamos and we still need someone in defence after failing to get Daniel Veremu,” said Jere.
“You will also realise that we released quite a number of defenders during the off-season, including David Sengu and Dumiso Khanye, because we had hoped to get Veremu, and that we didn’t get him, has left us a bit lightweight at the back.
“I wanted to talk about us getting another defender, and you can only discuss such things with the coach, and that’s when I heard that the players had boycotted training and I found that demoralising given that we had showed on Sunday that we still needed to work hard, especially on our defence, to find ways to improve.
“I raised questions about why we should be missing training sessions, in protest over money that had not been paid to the club, when our fitness levels were suspect and we had a lot of work to try on that side.
“The coach wasn’t happy with that and decided to walk out of the meeting because he was not happy with certain things that I raised.”
Jere said he was disappointed that his players could try and hold the club to ransom, by boycotting training, to press for funds that had not yet been received by the club.
“We lost the game on Sunday and there are a lot things that we saw, which we should help us to improve, ahead of the start of the season,” said Jere.
“The money issue shouldn’t have been the central issue here because we made it clear that as soon as we get our share of the prize money, we would give it to the players and their coaching staff.
“As an executive we have battled very hard to fulfill our promises to the players and the coaching staff, in a difficult economic climate, and we have always tried to make the team better and stronger.
“That was why our focus on Sunday was to see our team’s preparedness, for the coming season, rather than the money and these are issues that we need to solve quickly so that the team retains its focus for the coming season. We believe there is need for calm right now as we try to find a way forward so that we emerge as a stronger unit.”
Kasukuwere said the prize money had not yet been disbursed.
“We have not disbursed the prize money because there are some issues, which have to do with the logistics related to bank transfers and those who have the authority to sanction such transfers, which
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are yet to be finalised,” said Kasukuwere.
“We have advised both Dynamos and CAPS United of that position and we have given them our assurance that their funds, from the prize money, will be disbursed into their coffers as soon as possible once we get the authority of everyone involved in the sponsorship package.
“There is absolutely no need for anyone to panic or to start spreading rumours that we have already paid the clubs because that is not the correct position and we are certain that by tomorrow (today), or before the end of this week, we would have settled this issue.
“We announced the sponsorship package because we had secured the funds and what they received from the President was a bonus, because he was happy with the way the two teams played on the day, which will be outside what we will give them as prize money.
“As organisers we believe that we had a great day, which is what was important, and the same way we promised, and delievered, in giving the teams branded kits is also the same way we will deliver in giving the two teams’ their share of prize money.”
The Harare businessman, a former Dynamos secretary-general, said there was no need for either DeMbare or CAPS United players to start protests over funds that were on the way into the club’s coffers.
“Our position is that we had a very successful day and we should be able to build on that so that we can do better in the future,” said Kasukuwere.
“We believe that football has had too many negative headlines and, with the coming on board of Delta Beverages as sponsors of our Premier League, we should change the way we behaved in the past so that we try as much as possible to give our game a proper image.
“There is a lot we can gain from that than what we can get from protests.”