FORMER CAPS United forward Fungai Tostao Kwashi says he is delighted to come back to his boyhood team as one of the assistant coaches to Englishman Mark Harrison.
SPORTS CORRESPONDENT
Harrison was unveiled as the new Caps United football club manager by the club’s leadership in Harare on Wednesday after resigning from Black Leopards.
He would be assisted by former goalkeeper’s coach Brenna Msiska who makes a return after a long time on the sidelines with Kwashi coming in as a second assistant.
Kwashi who has been playing in Vietnam in the past eight years having started his football career at Caps United at a tender age of eight years said he was happy to return and launch his coaching career with the club that gave him the platform to showcase his talent.
“I grew up at Caps United where I started playing at a tender age of eight years. I played in all the junior teams at Caps United before I graduated into the senior team and I am happy to be coming back home. Thanks to the Caps United president Twine Phiri for giving me this wonderful opportunity to launch my coaching career,” Kwashi said.
His boss Harrison said he would help him develop his coaching career. Kwashi who made his senior team debut at Caps United in 1997 before leaving for green pastures in 2001, last played for An Giang a year ago said he had been cleared by his former club.
“I have been around since last year. I have been waiting for clearance from my former club, but now everything is in place. I am now looking forward to a great season with Caps United,” he said.
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Caps United have appointed George Gumbo as the team’s welfare manager while former team manager Luis Maio will head the club’s business development unit.
Speaking at the coaches’ unveiling ceremony on Wednesday, Caps chief executive officer Joe Makuvire said they would address financial problems plaguing the club.
“We want to assure you that we would address the financial constraints which the club is facing, through hard work,” Makuvire said.
Financial problems have seen Caps lose their coach of the last two years Taurai Mangwiro, to Harare City.
Midfielder and 2014 soccer star of the year finalist Tendai Samanja has followed Mangwiro to City, alongside goalkeeper Tafadzwa Dube.
Kelvin Bulaji is now at Dynamos while striker Dominic Chungwa is angling for a move to the champions, although he still has a year’s running contract with the Green Machines.
Harrison said he was motivated by coaching Caps and not money in jumping ship from South African Black Leopards to Harare.
Leopards claimed Harrison has a year left on his deal after taking over last November and he unprocedurally broke off the contract on Monday to sign for Caps. The South African side is now considering legal action.
“I am happy to be coming to coach Caps United. The reason I am here is the desire to make the club better, the desire to make Caps United the biggest brand in Zimbabwe and the desire to take into Africa.
“I have worked with Zimbabwean players in South Africa and they are physically stronger than South African players, but technically the South Africans are better and I am here to try and improve the players and to make the club better. But it’s a big challenge which requires a lot of hard work, patience and consistence not to continuously change coaches,” Harrison told reporters.
He added: “I have coached the Bangladesh national side. I have never been afraid of taking on challenges. I enjoy working in different environments. It is not a problem to me. I am here to make things happen. If we do things correctly, Caps United will be a stronger club. I am a coach who expects high performance from players. I enter into any game to win even if it’s a friendly match. But the most important thing is that the team is built by unity. If we stand together we will be successful.”
