CAPS United have received a major boost after head coach Lloyd Chitembwe pledged his undying loyalty to the club despite the financial challenges which have seen them battle the dark forces of relegation.
Speaking ahead of the clash against Yadah tomorrow, Chitembwe, who coached Caps to a league title in 2016, said he was determined to restore the glory days of the past and would not quit despite challenges affecting his job.
Caps United players have not been paid for the last three months.
The club’s financiers are facing cash flow problems and those challenges have impacted on the team’s performance, thrusting them to 13th position on the log standings with 31 points with just seven matches left before the end of the season.
Chitembwe, while acknowledging the difficult situation faced by the club, said he was not the kind of person who surrenders easily.
He said he believes quitters are never winners.
“Our situation is known and it is not easy as coach to be in this situation, but I am not a quitter,” Chitembwe said.
“I don’t want to be seen to be quitting disgracefully. I am not the kind of person who surrenders disgracefully. I want to see the happy moments return at Caps United. I was part of those glory days as player and coach and I would love to see those days again. Obviously, it’s not this season, but in the next season. The last few remaining games will have a bearing on next season. These players are professionals, they know what is at stake, they don’t need anyone to motivate them,” he said.
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The Caps United coach, whose team was knocked out of the Chibuku Super Cup in the first round, also said they deserved the break to work on areas of weakness as they sat out the weekend with the quarterfinals taking place.
“The break was deserved. It gave us time to regenerate and freshen up, so we are looking forward to the match. The preparations are going on well. It’s looking good and it’s a difficult match, a local derby, both teams come from Harare and they know each other well,” he said.
“They (Yadah) have proved themselves in the games we have played against them and it’s not going to be easy but we are looking forward to winning the match.”
In their last league encounter, Caps United laboured to a 1-0 victory at home and will be looking to complete a double over them as they bid to secure maximum points at this critical stage of the campaign.
Both teams played out goalless draws in their last league matches with Caps United held by relegation-threatened Tenax at home, while Yadah secured a draw away to Herentals the same weekend.
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