This is it, CAPS United!

12 May, 2017 - 00:05 0 Views
This is it, CAPS United!

The ManicaPost

ESTEEMED followers of the game of football, thank you for finding time for interaction.

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, so goes the adage. And Zimbabwean champions, CAPS United begin theirs tonight; one they, and, indeed, the rest of other sincere friends of the local game, hope will end with a podium finish after MaKepeKepe are crowned the kings of Africa.

The Green Machine’s quest to conquer the continent continues at exactly 9pm with a contest against former champions, Zamalek under the floodlights away in Alexandria, Egypt in a 2017 Total-sponsored CAF Champions League Group B opener.

Hoping to steal an early march on their opponents that can eventually secure them passage, their expedition, a mission they seek to accomplish to fruition, will also take them to Algeria and Libya for dates with USM Alger and Ahli Tripoli.

The stakes are even higher for the Harare giants in that this is the furthest they have gone so far in their participation in this prestigious competition in their over-four-decade history. They are only the third club to have reached the money-spinning mini-league stages after Dynamos and Monomotapa.

This then effectively becomes the biggest, and perhaps most important, tournament CAPS United have partook in since their formation.

Already guaranteed of a handsome $500 000 financial windfall for having reached the group stages even if they finish bottom and get knocked out, CAPS United stand to pick further gainful rewards if they manage to be one of the two sides that finish top in each of the respective four-team four groups (A to D) and progress to the quarter finals.

This, thus, is MaKepeKepe’s most lofty and hefty football flight.

Not only does this journey, whose first step they take tonight, places among the local aristocrats to have come this far in the continental competition; it also raises the pedestal for the club’s players to profile themselves as being ready to move to foreign leagues, especially the elite of Europe. That they have made it to this stage, accounting for heavyweights TP Mazembe of DRC along the way, makes the Green Machine as good as any of the other 15 teams that remain in the tournament.

The idea is not to put too much pressure on themselves, but give it their best short while also enjoying their participation.

The months of May and June will, therefore, be momentous for Lloyd Chitembwe and his charges as they juggle their local and continental assignments while competing on two fronts. CAPS United’s other African fixtures are on May 23-24, June 2-4 and June 20-21.

This, also, is not a battle only for the MaKepeKepe faithful and family, but one for Zimbabwe as well since they are representing this great land between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers.

By going beyond this stage, Shaisamufaro will write and add another glorious chapter to their football history.

Their opponents tonight, the White Knights Zamalek, also have problems of their own, but that should not get our boys complacent as they have to focus on the job at hand and grind out a result that may set the tone for the rest of their campaign.

How they take off for this journey in tonight’s battle may be crucial for the remainder of the war.

Have CAPS United sharpened their pencils well, ready to draw a beautiful picture and adorn their photo album while also creating immortal memories of their participation in Africa?
This is it CAPS United.
Destiny beckons.
The stage has been set. Grab it.
All the best, and enjoy!
It’s Game On, Play On!

 Feedback:
Makhosini Hlongwane is doing well as the Minister of Sport [and Recreation]. With due respect, it was not important for him and his team to travel across the country to assess the state of sports infrastructure. Honestly, the Sport Ministry can get such data without travelling. What is the use of ICT [Information and Communication Technology]? What is the use f exhausting more financial resources on a corpse when there are no drugs for the sick? – Richard Mahuhushe Chauke.

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