Norman Mapeza has openly admitted that his squad is not ready to play Champions League football if given an opportunity to feature next season.

The international ban on Zimbabwe has seen local teams blocked from participating in the inter-club competition and other CAF tournaments.

This put the Platinum Boys out of the current campaign and should the sanctions remain, the club will miss another term.

But Mapeza believes their absence is a blessing in disguise as it will give them more time to rebuild the squad.

“It’s sad for our football, but l have to be honest, as much as we want to compete in the Caf Champions League, we are still lagging behind,” the gaffer told reporters on Thursday.

“If Zimbabwe was not suspended by Fifa we were going to play but deep down in my heart l know we are not ready for that stage. I have seen top teams in Africa and we are not at that level.”

The coach added: “If you look at Morocco and where they are in terms of football, they are too far away. What their national team did at the World Cup shows a clear picture of the work they are doing. We are still far behind.”

The FC Platinum boss said it does not make sense to participate in the Champions League with a weak squad and not ready.

He added: “Of course we want to go to the African Safari but does it make sense for us to go out there and get hammered five six goals, what will people say?

“We are not yet ready. We have to start from somewhere and go step by step up the ladder. In football, it’s like a graph you start from stage zero going up.”