HARARE - Turbulent CAPS United, winless in their last seven league games, have sacked goalkeeper Edmore Sibanda and defender Nyasha Mukumbi in a desperate bid to arrest the slide at the former Zimbabwe champions.

Club president Twine Phiri last night confirmed the dismissal of the two former Makepekepe captains.

“It is true, we have expelled them,” Phiri told the Daily News yesterday.

“We picked some issues in our process of establishing what has gone wrong at the team and we felt we can’t have such players in our team. We want a clean team and these two represent the opposite of what we want at CAPS.”

Phiri, however, refused to divulge the offences the two players committed.

“We can’t go public on what they did but it warrants dismissal. We can’t have such players a day longer at the club.”

 The CAPS co-director insisted that the door was firmly closed on the two.

“There is no way back for them. They are gone for good; we would rather use junior players and not this calibre of players.”

Sibanda, signed from Chapungu in 2008, had become popular with the Green Machine fans due to his ability to score from free kicks. With three goals, he was the club’s leading scorer along with midfielder Rahman Kutsanzira.

Centre-back Mukumbi, a former Monomotapa player, was a regular in the Green Machine backline.

Meanwhile, CAPS coach Taurai Mangwiro, who has not won a game since taking over three games ago, hopes for change of luck when his side takes on Buffaloes in Mutare this weekend.

“We can’t continue to give excuses; we need to start winning,” said Mangwiro during the club’s weekly press conference yesterday.

“We have to start picking up points. In Mutare there we are looking forward to a positive result. My belief is that we have some of the best players in the league but they have to come to the party. We have to double up our efforts to get the team out of the current situation.”

The former Monomotapa coach believes a win will kick-start a winning run for his side, which is pegged a lowly fifth from the bottom.

“The players are working hard but the missing link is the elusive win. Am sure a win will be the start of a good run of victories. For us to win the CAPS family, we have to win games.”

CAPS are having one of their worst seasons in their history, currently lying 12th on the 16-team standings with 19 points, just a point off the relegation zone.