uMthunywa
ABADLALI beqembu leZimbabwe bazathola usekelo olufanayo lesizwe seSouth Africa ngenxa yokuthi yiwo wodwa amaqembu azamela umhlubulo ongezansi yelizwe kumqhudelwano we-Afcon.
Ngokunjalo, amaqembu womabili azakhangelelwa phansi ngoba inguqu yakulindawo ayilalo udumo olufana lamanye amazwe kulesi isigaba somdlalo.
Ebuzwa ngokudibana lentshantshu zamazwe abalisa iGipite kuAfcon, umgadli wamaWarriors uDanny Phiri uthe ukungena kumidlalo emikhulu iqembu likhangelelwa phansi kuyanceda.
“Ngikubona kukuhle ukuthi basikhangelele phansi. Kuzenza kubelula kithi ngoba sizadlala ibhola lethu sikhululekile kungela okusifuqayo. Yikho lapho esizakwenza khona izimanga,” kutsho lumdlali.
Lomgadli weBafana Bafana uKamohelo Mokotjo ukholwa ukuthi ukubukelwa phansi kweqembu labo kungalisebenzela.
IBafana ifakwe kuGroup D lapho ezadibana khona le-Ivory Coast, Morocco leNamibia. ISouth Africa icine ukuncintisa kuAfcon ngo-2015 iqeqetshwa ngu-Ephraim “Shakes” Mashaba lapho eyaphuma khona ekuseni.
UMokotjo useqenjini lomqeqetshi uStuart Baxter.
Eqoqweni okukhona kulo iBafana, sekuvele kukhulunywa ngeMorocco ukuthi yiyo ezaqeda ihlezi phezulu.
“Inengi lethu lizadlala i-Afcon okokuqala futhi kungaba ngokokucina. Kodwa sigxile kokwenzakala manje. Esizibekele khona yikuya laphaya siyesebenza, sihambe ibanga elide kulo uqhudelwano. Akukho okunye. Uma sithathwa kancane lokho kuzosisiza kakhulu ngoba siyazi ukuthi singadlala kahle kangakanani uma senza okufunekayo,” kutsho uMokotjo.
“Siyabazi laba badlali abadumile esizabhekana labo. Kodwa okubalulekile kithi esikwenzayo siliqembu. Sizibona silethuba. Asiyi laphaya sizitshela ukuthi sithathwa kancane kodwa uma kwenzeka, lokho kuhle kithi.”
UMokotjo ngomunye wabadlali abadlale kuwo wonke amaqembu esizwe. Ngaphezu kwalokho uwine umqhudelwano weDanone Nations Under 12 ekhokhela iqembu leMzansi ngo-2003.
“Bengilinde ithuba lami. Ngithemba ukuthi ngizolithola ngenhlanhla. Bengisebenza kanzima ukuba lapho engikhona manje.
“Manje lo ngumqhudelwano omkhulu. Isifiso sami yikuthola indawo eqenjini. Nxa ngiyithola, ngizosiza izwe lethu lihambe ibanga elide. Ngiyakholwa ukuthi singakwenza lokho. Sonke siyadingana singabadlali. Konke kuqala lapha ngamalungiselelo,” kutsho uMokotjo.
—Ubulembu
