ABafana Bafana bagabula izigcawu kwiCosafa Cup namhlanje eNelson Mandela Bay Stadium!
UHelman Mkhalele ngumqeqeshi waBafana Bafana kwiCosafa Cup eqala namhlanje.
UMzantsi Afrika uza kudibana neMozambique emdlalweni wokuqala weCosafa oza kube useNelson Mandela Bay Stadium ngentsimbi yesithathu emalanga namhlanje. Amazwe alishumi elinambini aza kube ekhuphisana kwitumente eneminyaka engamashumi amabini ebanjwa rhoqo ngonyaka. Into encomekayo ngayo kukuba inika abadlali abakhulayo nabanetalente ithuba lokudlala neentanga zabo nokubonwa ngamaqela akhangela abadlali. ABafana Bafana baza kukhokelwa nguHelman Mkhalele.
Le ndedeba, eyayidlalela uMzantsi Afrika ngeentsuku zayo zobutsha, ilisekela likaHugo Broos ongumqeqeshi waBafana Bafana. UMkhalele unikwe ithuba lokuqeqesha iqela lesizwe eliza kudlala ngabadlali inkoliso yabo abaneminyaka esephantsi. Amaqela ohlulwe azizicuku ezine. UMzantsi Afrika uthelekiswe neMozambique, Eswatini neBotswana kuGroup A. KuGroup B kukho iZambia, iKenya, iComoros neZimbabwe. Yena uGroup C uneNamibia, Angola, iLesotho neSeychelles.
UMzantsi Afrika uza kuzama ukuqhuba kakuhle ukuze uphakamise indebe ityeli lesithandathu. Ngokutsho kukaMkhalele, injongo yokudlalisa abadlali kwitumente efana neCosafa kukunceda uBroos ukuze abe nabadlali abakulungeleyo ukudlalela iqela lesizwe. "Kubalulekile ukuba nabadlali abakwaziyo ukudlala kwinqanaba eliphezulu. Lo nto iza kunceda iqela lesizwe likwazi ukufumana iziphumo ezihle. Siwubonile umgangatho uphezulu kwiAfrica Cup of Nations ekuqaleni kwalo nyaka," utshilo uMkhalele.
"Ukuze sikwazi ukugcina indlela esidlale ngayo kwiAfcon, kufuneka siqinisekise ukuba sinabadlali abakwaziyo ukudlala kwinqanaba eliphezulu," utshilo umqeqeshi oncwase ukuvula itumente kakuhle emdlalweni wokuqala. Emdlalweni wesibini, aBafana Bafana baza kuqubisana neSwatini elokishini eWolfson Stadium phambi kokudibana neBotswana. Iintshatsheli zonyaka ophelileyo, iZambia, ziza kuzama ukukhusela indebe yazo kwisiqendu salo nyaka esithembisayo seCosafa Cup.
Bafana Bafana: Mondli Mpoto, Jaedin Rhodes, Olwethu Mzimela, Ethan Brooks, Samukelo Xulu, Liam Bern, Thabang Matuludi, Devin Titus, Keanu Cupido, Mfundo Thikazi, Thabo Moloisane, Asanele Velebayi, Rushwin Dortley, Tshepang Moremi, Athenkosi Mcaba, Ashley Cupido, Malebogo Modise, Thabang Sibanyoni, Sirgio Kammies, Sinoxolo Kwayiba, Brooklyn Poggenpoel, Yanela Mbuthuma, Antonio van Wyk.