HARARE - The Zimbabwe Under-17 football team’s failure to travel to Congo-Brazzaville to fulfil an important African Youth Championship qualifier has exposed the duplicity of the Zimbabwe Football Association (Zifa).

Recently, Zifa called a press conference where they boldly announced the dissolution of the senior national football team that dismally failed to qualify for the 2013 African Nations Cup finals in neighbouring South Africa.

At the presser, the local football mother body announced a raft of radical measures that included the setting up of a new national side revolving around the Under-17, Under-20 and Under-23 teams.

With football followers still trying to come to terms with Zifa’s drastic measure on the national team, the football motherbody has quickly demonstrated that their supposed prioritisation of national junior teams was nothing more than a face-saving ruse.

Here was an opportunity for Zifa to demonstrate they are genuine in their efforts to rebuild the senior national side around the youth teams by affording the Young Warriors a well-deserved opportunity to fulfil their fixture against the Congolese.

But just like they did with the Under-20 team who failed to travel to Angola early this year, Zifa has exposed another of our junior teams to a shattering three-year ban from the Confederation of African Football (Caf).

The tragic net result is that our Under-17 and Under-20 national teams will not be able to hone their skills at international level for the next three years.

The next generation of Zimbabwean footballers will justifiably hold Zifa responsible for their agony.

Even more painful is the fact that, some among the Under-17 team opted out of sitting for their ‘O’ Level exams so they could help Zimbabwe overturn the 2-1 first leg deficit.

But even after making such a sacrifice, Zifa let their ineptitude play havoc with the future of the next generation of footballers.

Zifa has to learn that success only comes to those nations that invest in the future not those obsessed with instant results that give them an opportunity to grandstand.

Clearly, Zifa’s priorities and vision are wrong.  Zifa have to sort out their priorities without delay otherwise we will continue to be the laughing stock of the football world.

Zifa needs to be real for once. - Staff Writer