ABanyana Banyana neSafa bathunyelwe ezingxoxweni nguLesufi

ABanyana Banyana bedibene entlanganisweni ePitoli kwiveki ephelileyo. Umfanekiso; ©Samuel Shivambu/BackpagePix

Emva kogwayimbo lwabadlali beqela lesizwe lamantombazana izolo, iSafa iza kuba nentlanganiso nabo phambi kokuya kwabo kwiyumente yehlabathi ngomso. Izolo abalandeli bebhola babone into abangazange bayibona ebholeni ekhatywayo. ABanyana Banyana balile ukudlala umdlalo wobuhlobo neBotswana obungowokukhapha bona njengokuba besiya eNew Zealand nase’Australia – amazwe amabini aza kusingatha itumente ngokubambisana. Abadlali bathe ngeke badlale eTsakane Stadium ngoba ingabonzakalisa – kodwa eyona nto ebiphambili kubo yimali yebhonasi abayifunayo. Kwinyanga ephelileyo, iSafa ixelele abantu boMzantsi Afrika ukuba aBanyana Banyana naBafana Bafana baza kubhatalwa ngokulinganayo – kodwa kukhangeleka ngathi ayenziwanga lo nto.

Iqela labadlali ekuthiwa liqokelelwe nguDanny Jordan elidlale izolo emalanga, uMzantsi Afrika uvuthululwe ngemvula yamagowuli amahlanu eqandeni yiBotswana ebizihambela. Kuye kwangenelela uMnu. Panyaza Lesufi, oyinkokeli yephondo laseGauteng. Emva kwentlanganiso yabamele abadlali neSafa, uLesufi uthe kuza kubakho intlanganiso ekuza kukhangelwa kuyo isisombululo. ‘Onke amacala aza kuya ezingxoxweni kwakhona. Akusekho mfuneko nokuhewulana ngoku ngoba le yenzekileyo into ilihlazo elikhulu. Zimbini iintlanganiso eziza kubanjwa ngokukhawuleza. Eyokuqala iza kuba ngezivumelwano zabadlali abaya kwitumente yehlabathi.

‘Ingqonyela yeSafa, uLydia Monyepao, ithembisile ngokuba iza kuyichophela ngokukhawuleza intlanganiso. Okwesibini, kuza kubanjwa intlanganiso eza kugxila kumalungiselelo etumente yehlabathi. Iqinisekisile iSafa ukuba izama umdlalo oza kuba phakathi kwaBanyana Banyana neCosta Rica apha kwinyanga yeKhala. Zikhona nezinye izinto ezichaphazela abadlali ezifuna ukusonjululwa ngokukhawuleza – kodwa sithe maziye entlanganisweni yeSafa ngoba asifuni ukungena thina,’ utshilo uLesufi emva kwentlanganiso. Umqeqeshi weqela, uDesiree Ellis, khange afune uthetha ngengxaki eyenzeke eqeleni lakhe phambi komdlalo wokugqibela phambi kwetumente yehlabathi. Amagama wabadlali abaza kumela uMzantsi Afrika abhengezwe ePitoli kwiveki ephelileyo.