Game-On Reporter
As the city gears up for the Harare Derby this Sunday, CAPS United coach Takesure Chiragwi is a man caught between two worlds.
This weekend marks a significant milestone for Chiragwi.
For the first time in his flourishing coaching career—which already boasts a 2023 league title with Ngezi Platinum Stars—he will lead his boyhood club into the capital’s biggest battle against arch-rivals Dynamos.
Reflecting on his playing days, the former defender noted that the Derby week required a different kind of psychological armor.
“I wouldn’t want the motivation from anyone, even from the coach.
“It was only the motivation for myself to say the star is going to be born on Sunday. By that day, getting the opportunity, I could rise to the occasion,” recalled Chiragwi during his playing days ahead of the derby.
Now, he is tasked with transferring that intrinsic fire to a new generation of players.
Flanked by assistants Ian Bakala and Joseph Kamwendo—both Derby veterans themselves—Chiragwi is using his history as a left-back to bridge the gap between tactical instruction and the raw emotion of the fixture.
“I also shared that experience with the players and also with my colleagues, Ian Bakala and Joseph Kamwendo, who were also a part of that at some point.
“It kept us together. We also played in that derby. So, at the end of the day, it’s up to the players, and also, as a coach, it’s also good to make sure that we have got something to give back, and also the history that we have can also play a pivotal role to make sure that you motivate the players and make them understand from my own experience as a player,” he said.
While the technical bench has done its homework, Chiragwi has issued a rallying cry to his squad, emphasizing that the Harare Derby is the ultimate litmus test for the players.
Football is football. It’s about how you want yourself to be remembered playing for these big teams.
“It’s not about talent alone. It’s about the spirit. It’s about the character. Those are the games that you can be counted,.
“If they are geared up to make sure that they want to separate boys from men, those are the games that can also carry your career forward,” said Chiragwi.
Despite a 1-0 stumble against Bulawayo Chiefs last week, CAPS United have maintained their pole position, sitting one point ahead of second-placed Hardrock. Chiragwi, however, the Caps United gaffer views the recent loss as a blessing in disguise.
“That defeat was necessary.
We needed that kind of awakening… now we go in there with the right kind of mentality knowing that even if we look stronger on paper, we can still be stopped by anyone,” he said.
