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.State media