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TWENTY countries will this weekend battle it out for five spots reserved for the African continent in the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
Zimbabwe will not be part of the remaining countries hoping to grace the European country in slightly less than two years.
While ita��s common knowledge the Warriors were barred from taking part in the 2018 World Cup qualifiers as a result of bungling by the previous administration led by Cuthbert Dube, we can only hope our football leaders have learnt a lesson never to gamble with a national asset such as the Warriors.
Despite repeated warnings from Fifa to settle coach Valinhos his $60 000 for taking charge of the national team during the doomed 2010 World Cup and Nations Cup qualifiers, Dube and company chose to bury their heads in the sand.
How the nation was then punished for the grave mistakes of its past football leaders is a well documented story that makes for sad reading.
We, however, implore on our current and even future football leaders never to repeat the sad episode that will go on to haunt Zimbabwean football for years to come.
The Warriors have never qualified for the World Cup with the closest they have ever been being the 1994 World Cup in the United States losing 3-1 to Cameroon needing only a draw.
But the exploits of that team aptly named the a�?Dream Teama�? inspired generations of future football stars. The sight of Peter Ndlovu dancing his way through defenders in the 1993 qualifiers inspired thousands of young boys to take to the dusty fields in their communities and play football.
The sight of goalkeeper Bruce Grobbelaar, defender Henry McKop and coach Reinhard Fabisch pummelled with stones in Cairo in 1993 against Egypt inspired some of todaya��s stars to take up soccer at school and ultimately as a career.
Warriors captain Willard Katsande falls in the generation of players who watched the a�?Dream Teama�? growing up as a boy.
In his own right Katsande and the current crop of Warriors players inspire a generation of future stars who will one day represent the country hopefully in the World Cup finals.
But all it takes to inspire a young player is seeing his hero playing against some of the best players in Africa.
As the saying goes ita��s no use crying over spilt milk but we can only hope that our football leaders have learnt never to gamble with the Warriors again.
Now the focus should be on making sure the players that will represent the Warriors in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers are not deprived of the chance to rub shoulders with the best in the world simply because our football leaders failed to meet their administrative end of the deal. .
Online Reporter