Crisis is a harsh word to use, a word Safa boss Kirsten Nematandani would rather not employ as he reflects on the current awful state of our football.

Well, Mr Nematandani, no other word could best describe the dire state of our football at the moment.

A host of successive failures by our national teams to qualify and perform on bigger stages, the latest being the national Under-20 and Under-23 teams, have constituted a crisis.

Frankly, our football has been mired in a deep malaise for quite some time, and there are no clear signs of recovery.

And by all accounts, no amount of words could convince even loyal fans otherwise, as they look back with sadness at the year that was.

Big brother Bafana Bafana led the way to gloom when they failed to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations in October, bringing to futility months of promises of a turnaround after they missed the 2010 Afcon tourney.

The national Under-23 side, Baby Bafana, followed suit when they flopped in their quest to qualify for the Olympics at a mini-tournament in Morocco last week.

With their tails between their legs, Amajita landed from Botswana this weekend where they fared terribly in the Metropolitan Cosafa Under-20 championship.

This has got to be the darkest period in our history in international football, especially depressing during the week marking the 20th anniversary of Safa's readmission to world football.

To think Safa are excited by the prospect of Zambia, Ghana, Equatorial Guinea and Angola arriving at our shores to set up training camps in preparation for their Afcon campaigns is almost nauseating.

In a statement released this week, Safa said it was excited by several national teams' interest in using the World Cup facilities, arguing this will go a long way in sustaining the World Cup legacy.

"We want the 2010 World Cup legacy to benefit several generations to come, especially South Africans and the football family on the African continent. Setting up bases here is a good sign that our World Cup facilities will never turn into a white elephant," Safa said.

Our regional counterparts are making giant strides in the continent, as we slip hopelessly into mediocrity.

Shouldn't we be using these state-of-the-art facilities to enhance our chances of qualification and success at continental tournaments?

What needs to happen for our football to extricate itself from its current awful state?

Where is the nation supposed to source the hope that we will, someday, return to the glory days?

No crisis my foot!