April 8, 2025
Tears, losses: CAPS Utd crisis deepens
Mugove Chigada
Deputy Editor-Zimpapers Sports Hub
The viral video of a CAPS United fan sobbing after Sunday’s 2-1 defeat to Ngezi Platinum doesn’t come close to telling the full story.
Because that same fan has cried before – even in victory. In April 2023, after a 1-0 win over ZPC Kariba at the National Sports Stadium, he was again trending, weeping with joy.
This time, the tears are soaked in dread.
“It’s normal to cry because we have CAPS United at heart – in both cases,” says die-hard supporter Tafadzwa ‘Daddy Willoe’ Phiri.
“But I don’t really know the background of that trending fan much to explain everything.”
Yet the numbers explain it all. And they are grim.
CAPS United have picked up just four points in their first five matches of the 2025 Castle Lager Premier Soccer League season. That return, paired with a negative goal difference of two, marks their second worst start since their 2016 championship campaign.
Only in 2021/22 did they begin worse – also with four points, but a goal difference of minus four.
That season, ravaged by Covid-19’s lingering impact, ended in mediocrity: 11th place, 40 points, and little to cheer.
Now, fans are starting to fear a repeat.
In five games, CAPS United have already lost three times – the same number of defeats they suffered across the entire 2016 season. Back then, they collected 13 points from their first five, remained unbeaten, and even beat Dynamos 1-0 during that stretch.
A lot has changed since then – financially, structurally, and competitively. But head coach Lloyd Chitembwe isn’t making excuses.
“I have been here long enough to understand what this football club is all about,” Chitembwe says. “Results are what matter at the end of the day.”
And he’s not shifting blame either.
“It is the sole responsibility of the coach to make the team win matches. It is my responsibility, and that responsibility does not lie with anyone else.”
Since 2008, no team has gone on to win the league after a start as poor – or worse – than CAPS United’s current one, except Monomotapa.
Under Norman Mapeza, they collected just three points in their opening five matches but rebounded spectacularly.
That Monoz side had conceded nine goals and scored just four, yet went on a tear, losing only two more games in the remaining 25. Their 76 percent success rate from that point powered them to the title.
That’s the kind of miracle Chitembwe’s men now need to replicate. A tall order – but not mathematically impossible.
Sunday’s dagger from Ngezi Platinum’s Ashwin Karengesha may have decided the match, but not the entire season.
Still, the pressure is mounting – not just on the pitch, but in the boardroom.
The CAPS United leadership meets on Tuesday to discuss the club’s nosedive. But insiders know the real power rests with club president Farai Jere, the man who brought Chitembwe back and has stood by him through thick and thin.
Now, the question is: how much longer will that loyalty last?
CAPS United First 5 Games Since 2016:
Year P W D L F A PTS
2025 5 1 1 3 4 6 4
2024 5 3 0 2 8 3 9
2023 5 3 2 0 6 1 11
2021/22 5 0 4 1 3 7 4
2016 5 4 1 0 8 2 13
20085 1 0 4 4 9 3
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