Senior Sports Reporter
THE government has expressed regret over Zimbabwe’s failure to land the 2017 African Nations Cup hosting rights. Focus should now be on successfully staging the African Union Sports Council Region 5 Under-20 Youth Games next month said Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, Andrew Langa.

If the regional Games are a huge success, the country will be vindicated from those who believe that it has no capacity to play host to big sporting events, he said.

Seven countries submitted bids to host the 2017 tournament after initial hosts Libya pulled out due to civil strife.

Caf this week shortlisted four countries, Algeria, Egypt, Gabon and Ghana, leaving out Kenya, Sudan and Zimbabwe.

Langa said there was no need now to cry over spilt milk as Caf’s decision was final.

“It’s unfortunate that our bid fell away in the first hurdle but we just have to accept it and focus our energies on the upcoming African Union Sports Council Region 5 Under 20 Games. If these Games are a success, which I know they will, Africa and the world will see that Zimbabwe is capable of hosting big sporting events,” he said.

However, Zimbabwe’s bid was bound to fail at the outset after several board members distanced themselves from it saying they were never consulted but read about it in the newspapers.

The failed bid, said the board members, was a two-men project by Zifa president Cuthbert Dube and his chief executive officer Jonathan Mashingaidze.

Mashingaidze undertook trips to Zambia and Botswana trying to convince the two countries to partner Zimbabwe in their bid. Both turned down the request but the snub did not deter Zifa.

Even when the Caf president Issa Hayatou came out in the media saying only those countries that have previously hosted Afcon will be considered for the 2017 bid, Zifa went on to convince the government that the country had the capacity to host such a tournament. They got a government guarantee.

Zifa communications manager Xolisani Gwesela said the association will soon call a meeting of interested groups to look at ways to better manage future bids.

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