YiNtatheli kaMthunywa
UNORMAN Mapeza uswele amaphiko kulandela ukuphumelela kwakhe esenza osekwehlule abaqeqetshi abanengi ngesikhathi efaka leliqembu kumidlalo yamaqoqo yeCaf Champions League okokuqala kulithimu.
Umqeqetshi lo, ulokhe esithi akulula phambili ngoba kuqansile kundlela eyokukhankasela ukufika kusibanga samaqoqo.
Iqembu lalumqeqetshi iFC Platinum liqhubekele phambili lafinyelela isigaba samaqoqo ngemva kokunqoba iOtoho. Amaqembu womabili aphethe engutshiki lobhanqa 0-0 enkundleni yeMandava. Izimbamgodi ziphumelele ngenxa yokuhlohla ibhola zivakatshele ekhaya le-Otoho eCongo Brazaville.
“Kunzima phambili. Imidlalo isifuna ukuthi siqinise iqembu,” kutsho uMapeza ebika ngamalungiselelo akhe.
Imidlalo yamaqoqo amaqembu izaqhubeka ngomnyaka ozayo.
Kusenjalo, kubikwa leOrlando Pirates ifikile kulesi isigaba somncintiswano ngemva kweminyaka emihlanu kusehlula.
U-Milutin “Micho” Sredojevic umqeqetshi weZimnyama lokhu ukwenze ngoMgqibelo elomkhulu waseNamibia, eWindheok enkundleni eyaziwa ngeleSam Nujoma Stadium, lapho iqembu lakhe elinqobe khona nge 1-0 ku-African Stars.
IPirates izitshengisele ukuthi izakhokhela lumdlalo kusukela ngehlandla lakuqala lomdlalo kodwa ngesikhathi zidibene kumaviki amabili adluleyo, iPirates yathela abalandeli bayo uvalo iphetha umdlalo nge 0-0.
Ngokunqoba lapha iPirates izibeke ethubeni elifanayo kweyamaqoqo lapho okungene khona lentshantshu zesicoco ngo-2016, iMamelodi Sundowns.
UMicho, wePirates ucine ukungena kweyamaqoqo ngo-2013, uzitshaya isifuba ngalokhu akwenzileyo futhi uncome labadlali bakhe.
“Abadlali batshengise okukhulu ukukhula ngokomqondo. Size kulumdlalo sitshaywa luvalo kodwa kudlulile. Ngijabulile ukuthi singene kweyamaqoqo ngemva kweminyaka kungenzeki lokhu.”
Kumaqembu asemhlubulweni ongezansi yelizwe, kukhangelelwe ukuthi abuyisele udumo luka-1995 lo2016 ngokunqoba. Kumaqembu la kule FC Platinum (Zimbabwe) TP Mazembe (Democratic Republic of Congo), Esperance (Tunisia), Waydad Casablanca (Morocco), CS Contantine (Algeria); Lobi Stars (Nigeria) leIsmaily (Egypt).