Noxa aBafana Bafana bephazanyiswe yiKhorona ekuqaleni kweveki – kodwa ibavume zisuka iGqeberha esingathe iCosafa Cup edlalwa ngamazwe angaphaya kweshumi. Umqeqeshi oyintloko wethutyana, uHelman Mkhalele noLucky Shiburi, umqeqeshi wonoozinti, benziwe amakheswa emva kokubhaqwa kubo amachaphaza weKhorona. Yonke lo nto icinywe kukuvula kakuhle koMzantsi Afrika obethe iBotswana ngegowuli elinye eqandeni emdlalweni wesibini kaGroup A. Kowokuqala umdlalo, eSwatini ivuthulule iLesotho ngo’3-1. Igowuli abaphumelele ngalo aBafana Bafana lifakwe nguKagiso Malinga sekusondele ixesha lokuphela komdlalo. UMzantsi Afrika udlalela kakuhle emdlalweni noxa usokolisiwe nje yiBotswana.
Abadlali abathe bafumane ithuba lokudlalela aBafana Bafana baquka uMonnapule Saleng omtsha kwi-Orlando Pirates, uEthan Brooks weTS Galaxy noThatayaone Ditlhokwe weSuperSport United. UMorena Ramoreboli uxhuzule imikhala ngenxa yemeko eye yanyanzela uMkhalele angabikho emdlalweni. Emva komdlalo, uRamoreboli uncome kakhulu umsebenzi owenziwe nguMalinga ofake igowuli. “Ndiyavuyisana nabadlali emva kokuphumelela kwabo. Bazamile ukwenza umsebenzi ngendlela ebesithethe ngayo nangona bekunzima ukungena emhlabeni weBotswana. Sikwazile kodwa ukudlala umdlalo ongcono kwisigaba sesibini,” utshilo uRamoreboli.
Phambi kokuqala kwetumente ngoLwesibini, uMphathiswa weZemidlalo eMpuma Koloni, uNksz. Fezeka Nkomonye, ukuqhwabele izandla ukuziswa kweCosafa Cup ephondweni lakhe watsho esithi iza kufunqula uqoqosho lwaseGqeberha. “Sigqibe kwelokuba siyixhase itumente kuba siqonda ukuba iza kunceda ihlumise uqoqosho. Ngamazwe angaphaya kweshumi aqeshe iindawo zokuhlala, achitha imali kwiindawo ezithengisa ukutya nakwezinye izinto. Njengendawo ephambili kwezokhenketho, sicinga ukuba iNelson Mandela Bay ikufanele ukusinga itumente efana neCosafa Cup,” utshilo uNkomonye.
Kuvulwe isikolo esixabisa iR106-million KwaMaxhama