Abadlali beqela lesizwe lebhola eekhatywayo bayilungele imidlalo yobuhlobo nangona iveki yabo ingaqalanga kakuhle. Umqeqeshi waBafana Bafana, uHugo Broos, uvakalise ukuphoxeka kwakhe emva kokuba iqela lakhe lingavunyelwanga ukusebenzisa iDobsonville Stadium – indawo ebeliza kuzilolongela kuyo. Kuthe kanti iSafa khange iwenze kakuhle amalungiselelo. Lo nto imshiye ephoxekile uBroos ozama ukwakha iqela elinokuzibekela indawo kwiAfrica Cup of Nations elandelayo. Njengokuba le veki iyeyemidlalo yeFIFA, uMzantsi Afrika ujamelene nemidlalo emibini yobuhlobo. Kowokuqala, uza kudibana neSierra Leone emalanga ngoMgqibela, eFNB Stadium. Omnye uza kudibana kuwo neBotswana ngoLwesibini weveki ezayo.
Iqela likaBroos libethwe yiFrance neMorocco emidlalweni yokugqibela eliyidlalileyo. Okucacileyo kukuba umqeqeshi ukuphephile ukuthelekisa iqela lakhe namazwe amakhulu kuba engafuni ukophula umoya wabadlali bakhe phambi komdlalo obalulekileyo ohlakulela iAfcon. Akukho bani waziyo nokuba iBotswana neSierra Leone ziya kubanceda na aBafana Bafana. Uqale kakuhle uBroos kunyaka ophelileyo ngokuphumelela imidlalo emine – kodwa yonke into yonakala mhla aBafana Bafana boyiswa yiGhana ngendlela enebatha emidlalweni yamazwe ebezama indlela yokuya kwitumente yehlabathi.
ABafana Bafana baza kudibana neLiberia emdlalweni ohlakulela iAfcon olandelayo. “Ndikhethe iSierra Leone ngoba idlala umdlalo ofanayo neLiberia esiza kudlala nayo kunyaka ozayo,” utshilo uBroos ethethelela ukukhetha iqela elisezantsi kakhulu kumanqwanqwa weFifa. “Sinemidlalo emibini ebalulekileyo esiza kuyidlala neLiberia. Ukudlala neSierra Leone kuyasincedisa kumalungiselelo wethu. Yona iBotswana siyikhwebile ngoba ndathi ndifuna imidlalo emibini kule nyanga,” utshilo uBroos. Okothuse umzi kukuchonga uThemba Zwane awayethe mdala ngaphambili. Omnye umdlali obengekho ekuqaleni – kodwa oye wabizwa nguSiyanda Xulu ongene endaweni kaThibang Phete oye wonzakala.
UMzantsi Afrika uzuze inqaku kwiCongo Brazzaville ebibhokile kowayo!