Amaqela amabini ebhola ekhatywayo alungiselela umdlalo wokugqibela weMTN8 oza kubanjelwa eMoses Mabhida Stadium ngentsimbi yesithandathu ngoMgqibelo. Loo maqela yiMamelodi Sundowns neCape Town City. Emva kokungaqhubi ngendlela ebilindelekile kwisizini egqithileyo, iCity ibuyise uEric Tinkler ekuqaleni kwesizini ukuze azame ukuyibuyisela endaweni yayo. Ukuphumelela indebe yeMTN8 kwakuba yinto enkulu kakhulu. Nangona iSundowns iziphumelele zonke iindebe eminyakeni egqithileyo – kodwa isanzinyelwe kukufumana impumelelo kwiMTN8. Ezo zinto ziza kwenza umdlalo ube nomtsalane kakhulu futhi ubenzima.
Unozakuzaku weMTN8, uJoseph Makhanya, uxelele I’solezwe lesiXhosa kwiiveki ezidlulileyo ukuba iSundowns lelona qela elifanelwe kukuphakamisa indebe ekhatshwa zizigidi ezisibhozo zerandi (R8-million) ngenxa yokudlala kwayo kakuhle kule sizini nangenxa yabadlali abasemgangathweni ophezulu enabo. Ngokokutsho komnye umqeqeshi weSundowns, uManqoba Mngqithi, ukuphumelela iMTN8 Cup kule isizini, yenye yezinto eziphambili kwiqela lakhe. Umbuzo: ingaba uTinkler, okhe wayiphumelela eqeqesha iSuperSport United, angayayinika iDowns? Ngeke ayenze lo nto ngoba naye ufuna ukuyiphumelela okokuqala njengomqeqeshi.
Ngaphezulu koko, ukuphumelela iMTN8 Cup, kungenza uTinkler abe ngomnye wabaqeqeshi abaphambili ebholeni yaseMzantsi Afrika. Nangona iCity ikwazile ukubetha iGolden Arrows ngo’4-3 kwiveki ephelileyo – kodwa uTinkler uxhalabile yindlela evuze ngayo iza kujongana neDowns. UTinkler uthe iqela lakhe liza kuhlasela emdlalweni ngoba yeyona nto elikwaziyo ukuyenza kwaye uyayazi ukuba iDowns iyakuthanda ukudlala izigadile. “Kufuneka sikhaliphe xa sidlala neDowns ngoba inabadlali abayingozi,” utshilo uTinkler. Nangona iSundowns ingekabethwa kwisizini eqhubekayo – kodwa uRhulani Mokwena uvumile ukuba umdlalo uza kuba nzima watsho esithi baza kuyilungiselela iCity ngoba inabadlali abangayingozi abafana noThato Mokeke, uBradley Ralani noThabo Nodada.
iSundowns ingombe iSibanye emdlalweni obutaka iintlantsi eLoftus Stadium!