ZIFA yesterday issued an apology to Zimbabweans after the Warriors suffered a humiliating exit at the 2019 AFCON finals with the association saying bitter lessons have been picked from an adventure that promised so much but delivered very little.
The so-called Golden Generation, which was expected to
become the first group of Warriors to reach the knockout stages of the Nations
Cup after winning their qualifying group with ease, ended their campaign here
bottom of the table with just a point to their credit.
A 0-4 mauling at the hands of the Democratic Republic of
Congo, in their final match on Sunday, crushed the dreams of a nation which had
backed its team to clear the final hurdle and book its place in the Round of
16.
That the Congolese had lost both their matches to Egypt and
Uganda, conceding four goals, and had failed to score in either match, had
boosted expectations among the Warriors, and their fans, that this was a
mission the team would successfully complete.
Interestingly, the Warriors had taken four points, after
beating the DRC 2-1 in Kinshasa, and drawing 1-1 in Harare, in the qualifiers
but, when it came to the tournament, the Zimbabweans had no match for their
Congolese counterparts on Sunday.
ZIFA, in a statement released by their spokesman Xolisani
Gwesela, said they were sorry for what transpired here but said focus should be
switched to building strong foundations to ensure success stories are written
going forward.
‘’The Zimbabwe Football Association would like to apologise
to all Zimbabweans following the Warriors’ unfortunate and painful group stage
elimination from the 2019 Total Africa Cup of Nations finals in Egypt,’’ the
statement read.
‘’ZIFA is equally heartbroken because the intention was for
the team to go further than the group stage and make history for our country.
All efforts had been harnessed towards that goal.
‘’Further, ZIFA appreciates the commitment and efforts of
all the players and the technical team during the tour of duty. The Association
believes that the technical team, players and the officials fell while trying
their best and would like to thank them for being our ambassadors.
‘’In addition, ZIFA would like to thank the nation,
supporters and all stakeholders who contributed in many different ways towards
the team’s participation in Africa’s most prestigious tournament.
‘’As the team heads back home, ZIFA will take time to
introspect and lay a foundation for a better football future in order to
guarantee better performances at such high profile tournaments.’’
The association also paid tribute to President Mnangagwa
for rallying behind the team.
‘’Furthermore, ZIFA
would like to specifically thank His Excellency, President Emmerson
Mnangagwa, the entire government, our parent ministry of Youth, Sports, Arts
and Recreation, the Sport and Recreation Commission, the Warriors fundraising
committee chaired by the Hon. Minister Kazembe Kazembe, sponsors and partners
for the roles they played to make this campaign possible,’’ Gwesela said in the
statement.
‘’In conclusion, it is ZIFA’s firm belief that the review
exercise should take a sober approach that is not clouded by a lot of
emotions.’’
ZIFA officials found themselves being locked in a series of
meetings, with the players, over pay issues and on the eve of the opener
against Egypt, the Warriors refused to train and threatened not to fulfill the
match.
Ahead of the final game against the Congolese, the Warriors
camp was hit by unrest as the players again threatened not to fulfill the match
unless certain payments had reflected in their accounts.
At one stage, during the impasse, the ZIFA bosses even toyed
with the idea of taking the drastic decision of withdrawing the team from the
AFCON finals. Herald
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