UNkanyiso Mayo weSouth Africa noSamkelo Ginindza (Eswatini) emdlalweni wobuhlobo obuseFNB Stadium. Umfanekiso: ©Muzi Ntombela/BackpagePix
Umqeqeshi weqela lesizwe loMzantsi Afrika, uHugo Broos, uya emdlalweni olandelayo exhelekile emphefumlweni emva kokungadlali kakuhle kwalo emdlalweni ogqithileyo. ABafana Bafana baphoxe abantu abaninzi emva kokuba bedlale ntanganye ngeqanda neSwatini emdlalweni wobuhlobo obubanjelwe eFNB Stadium ngokuhlwa kwangoLwesihlanu ogqithileyo. Ushiyeke ephoxekile umqeqeshi yindlela aBafana Bafana abadlale ngayo ngoba ebeba baza kuzimisela njengokuba elungiselela ukuya emidlalweni ehlakulela iNdebe yeHlabathi nelungiselela iAfrica Cup of Nations eza kube ise-Ivory Coast ekuqaleni konyaka ozayo.
Abadlali beSwatini ngabona badlale umdlalo oncomekayo ngoba bakwazile ukuhlasela. UMzantsi Afrika udlale kakubi – kodwa okutyhafise abantu abaninzi kukuphoswa kwebathwana lamathuba acacileyo athe avela emdlalweni. Lo nto ibaphazamisile abaqeqeshi ngoba bebenethemba lokuba banalo iqela abaza kuya ngalo kwiAfcon emva kokubetha iDemocratic Republic of Congo nokubambana neNamibia kwinyanga ephelileyo. “Ndiphoxeke kakhulu yindlela elidlale ngayo iqela,” utshilo umqeqeshi emva komdlalo ethetha kwiSABC TV.
“Andazi kutheni iqela lidlale ngendlela elidlale ngayo namhlanje. Bekungekho kwanto enika umdlalo emdlalweni waBafana Bafana kwisiqingatha sokuqala. Umdlalo wabo ubungadibani. Andiyazi into ebisenzeka. Bendinethemba lokubona baza kudlala umdlalo ophucukileyo kwisigaba sesibini somdlalo. Xa ndithetha inyaniso, umdlalo wethu ubumbi kakhulu,” utshilo uBroos. Kwisigaba sesibini, umqeqeshi ufake abadlali abafana noMduduzi Mdantsane, uBongokuhle Hlongwane noSibongiseni Mthethwa – kodwa kange kubekho mahluko.
Endaweni yoko, baphose amathuba. “Umdlalo wethu ubimbi. Linye tshu ithuba esilifumeneyo kwisigaba sokuqala. Asikhange sikwazi nokuyisokolisa iEswatini emdlalweni wanamhlanje,” utshilo uBroos. Ngoku aBafana Bafana balungiselela ukudibana ne-Ivory Coast ekhwina enjalo umqeqeshi emva kokungadlali kakuhle kwabo ngoLwesihlanu ogqithileyo. Baya emdlalweni ngaphandle kwabadlali abafana noPercy tau, uMonnapuleng Saleng noZakhele Lepasa. UMzantsi Afrika uthelekiswe namazwe aquka iTunisia, iNamibia neMali kwiAfcon ezayo.