CAPS regroup for pre-season training
CHAMPIONS CAPS United began their pre-season training at the National Sports Stadium yesterday, but it was a low key-event with a host of senior players missing out.
CAPS United have regrouped ahead of next month’s Champions League preliminary round clash against Lesotho champions Lioli on the weekend of February 10-12.
However, the first day back in office was marred by poor turnout by some of the senior players with veteran striker Leonard Tsipa, midfielders Devon Chafa, Tafadzwa Rusike, Phineas Bamusi, Kudzai Nyamupfukudza, Abbas Amidu and as defenders Stephen Makatuka, and Ronald Pfumbidzayi conspicuous by their absence.
Coach Lloyd Chitembwe was not amused by the of his players but indicated that he had excused some of them including Pfumbidzayi, who got married yesterday.
Amidu, who is yet to seal a new deal with CAPS United following the expiry of his contract on December 31, is said to be in South Africa.
Amidu’s manager George Deda said the player was in South Africa and there are also indications that the former Black Leopards midfielder is on a club-hunting mission in Vietnam.
CAPS United newboys — Ronald Chitiyo, Last Sithole and goalkeeper Prosper Chigumba — also joined their new teammates at yesterday’s training session.
But former Harare City midfielder Chitiyo only made a brief appearance with Chitembwe indicating that he had decided to give him a rest and had also given him a programme to follow.
Chitembwe said he has decided to give the creative midfielder two weeks rest following his off-season commitments with the national team, where he had been training with the African Cup of Nations enlarged squad.
Chitiyo was released from the Warriors along with four others, but after having featured for the senior team in a Boxing Day international friendly in Cote d’Ivoire, Chitembwe fears a burn out of the player.
“Ronald has been training with the Warriors and played a match (in Cote d’Ivoire) so we have decided to give him a rest of two weeks. He will join the rest of his team mates on January 16.
“But this does not apply to him alone, we will also look at Hardlife Zvirekwi’s case when he returns from the Africa Cup of Nations. Pfumbidzai and Bamusi also played for the Warriors last week so we are considering them too.
“We have made it clear though, to these players that they should report for training every day until their rest period is over,” said Chitembwe.
Few trialists are also trying their luck with the champions, with the coach indicating that they are still looking at signing players to register in the domestic league.
CAPS United have registered 25 players in the Champions League, but can still add five to their local league squad.
Chitembwe said one of the players they are likely to sign is striker Professor Wadyajena, who was not involved with mainstream football, but impressed the club when he was assessed before the season ended. KHAMA BILLIAT has opened up on the Glo African Footballer Award with the Mamelodi Sundowns kingpin expressing his confidence of winning the accolade for the best player on the continent.
The Confederation of African Football will tomorrow stage their annual awards ceremony in Abuja, Nigeria and Zimbabweans’ eyes will be on Billiat as he battles for the coveted crown against his Brazilians teammate and Ugandan goalkeeper Denis Onyango and Zambian skipper, Rainford Kalaba, who plays for Congolese giants TP Mazembe.
Billiat and Onyango have an edge over Kalaba in that they did not only help Mamelodi Sundowns win the CAF Champions League title, but they also inspired their respective countries to qualification for the African Cup of Nations in Gabon.
Kalaba fronted the TP Mazembe attack as they won the Confederation Cup, but could not meet with much success with the national team as former African champions Zambia failed to qualify for the Nations Cup.
In fact, Billiat and Onyango have had to be excused from the Warriors and the Cranes’ training camps in Harare and Tunis to attend the function in Nigeria a tomorrow.
Away from the madness of social media, Billiat was yesterday upbeat of his chances of etching his name in Zimbabwean history by winning the African Footballer of the Year Award.
The 26-year-old forward, however, said he was also ready for any outcome should the selection panel opt to crown either of Onyango or Kalaba.
Billiat, speaking just a few hours before he left Harare for Nigeria, reckoned that making the final three was in itself an achievement.
“It feels pretty good to have been nominated for the award. I thank the Almighty God for putting me at a place where I have never been WARRIORS forward Matthew Rusike marked the start of the New Year with new beginnings in his career after he moved closer to completing a move to top Tunisian football outfit CS Sfaxien.
The brawny forward, who has played in South Africa, Greece and recently Sweden, has chosen to take his career to North Africa following the relegation of his team Helsingborgs IF.
Sources in Tunisia said the deal was as good as done although the terms of the contract were not immediately available. Rusike left the country on Monday to finalise the switch after spending 18 months in Sweden where he also played for Halmstad BK.
Warriors coach Callisto Pasuwa yesterday confirmed that the forceful former Kaizer Chiefs striker had been excused from the team’s preparations to travel to Tunisia to expedite the negotiations. before. It will be good news for the country if I win the award.
“If I fail to win the award I will not have hard feelings because for me to be nominated it was God’s grace. I will be happy with any outcome because it will be God’s decision.
“It was God who put me in that place so there will be no reason for me to be hurt and no reason for me to have hard feelings because everything happens for a reason. I also believe that it is always the Almighty God who is always in control so we must learn to accept everything that comes our way,” said Billiat.
Billiat took part in the Warriors morning training session at Gateway High School before departing for Abuja later in the afternoon.
It also emerged that the entire Mamelodi Sundowns team is expected to be in Abuja for the awards ceremony, to not only offer their support to Billiat and Onyango, but the club chiefs are hoping for a treble of awards if gaffer Pitso Mosimane wins the Coach of the Year gong, while the side claims the Team of the Year award. Having already won the South African Footballer of the Season, Players Player of the Season and the Kick Off Footballer of the Season awards ahead of Onyango, it would be a huge surprise if the Sundowns goalkeeper was to claim the Best African player gong.
Zimbabwe’s Mighty Warriors have also been shortlisted for the Women’s Team of the Year following their double qualification for the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil in August as well as the Women African Cup of Nations in Cameroon. The winners of tomorrow night’s awards will be decided by votes from the CAF Technical & Development, Media Committees and a panel of 20 experts (Journalists, TV consultants) except Fair Play, Legend and Platinum awards, which are not subject to voting.
For this year, there will be no votes for the Youth National Team of the Year.
Meanwhile, the Referee of the Year will be voted only by the CAF Referees Committee.
Other Categories Women’s Player of the Year Asisat OSHOALA (Nigeria & Arsenal Ladies) Elizabeth Addo (Ghana & Kvarnsvedensik) Gabrielle ABOUDI ONGUENE (Cameroon & Rossiyanka) Janine VANWYK (South Africa & JVW) Raissa FEUDJIOTCHUANYO (Cameroon & Aland United) Most promising Talent Elia MESCHAK (DR Congo &TP Mazembe) Kelechi IHEANACHO (Nigeria & Manchester City) Naby KEITA (Guinea & RB Leipzig) Oghenekaro ETEBO (Nigeria & CD Feirense) Ramadan SOBHI (Egypt & Stoke City) Youth Player of the Year Alex IWOBI (Nigeria & Arsenal) Eric AYIAH (Ghana U-17) Franck KESSIE (Cote d’Ivoire & Atalanta) Sandra OWUSU-ANSAH (Ghana & Supreme Ladies) Sidiki MAIGA (Mali U-20) Coach of the Year Florent IBENGE (DR Congo) Milutin‘Micho’SREDOJEVIC (Uganda) Pitso MOSIMANE (Mamelodi Sundowns) Nacer SANDJAK (MO Bejaia) Florence OMAGBEMI (Nigeria women’s national team) Referee of the Year Papa Gasama, Gambia Grishea Gehead, Egypt Malang Diedhiou, Senegal Club of the Year Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa) MO Bejaia (Algeria) TP Mazembe (DR Congo) Zamalek (Egypt) Zesco United (Zambia) National Team of the Year DR Congo Guinea Bissau Nigeria U-23 Senegal Uganda Women’s National Team of the Year Cameroon Ghana Nigeria South Africa Zimbabwe Pasuwa. Warriors Provisional Squad:
Goalkeepers: Donovan Bernard (How Mine), Tatenda Mukuruva (Dynamos), Nelson Chadya (Ngezi Platinum) Takabva Mawaya (Hwange)
Defenders: Costa Nhamoinesu (AC Sparta Praha), Bruce Kangwa (Azam FC), Elisha Muroiwa (Dynamos), Hardlife Zvirekwi (CAPS United), Oscar Machapa (AS Vita Club), Onismor Bhasera (Supersport United), Lawrence Mhlanga (Chicken Inn), Teenage Hadebe (Chicken Inn), Edwin Madhananga (Harare City)
Midfielders: Danny Phiri (Golden Arrows), Willard Katsande (Kaizer Chiefs), Khama Billiat (Mamelodi Sundowns), Kudakwashe Mahachi (Golden Arrows), Marshall Mudehwe (FC Platinum), Marvelous Nakamba (Vitesse Arnhem)
Strikers: Cuthbert Malajila (Bidvest Wits), Evans Rusike (Maritzburg United), Knowledge Musona (KV Oostende), Nyasha Mushekwi (Dalian Yifang), Mathew Rusike (Helsingborgs IF), Tendai Ndoro (Orlando Pirates), Tinotenda Kadewere (Djurgardens IF).