Emva kokugaleleka kwakhe kunyaka ophelileyo eMzantsi Afrika ezo kuthatha isihlalo sokuqeqesha iqela lesizwe lebhola ekhatywayo, uHugo Broos wabalula izinto ezimbini eziphambili kuye: ukuthatha aBafana Bafana abaseQata nakwiAfrica Cup of Nations. “Andizanga apha ukuze ndamkele nje imali empelanyanga. Ndifuna ukuphumelela indebe yeAfcon ndise iqela kwiNdebe yeHlabathi,” lawo ngamazwi wakhe kunyaka ophelileyo. Uwaphindile kwakhona kwiveki ephelileyo. Emva konyaka uBroos, iqela lesizwe alikwazanga ukuya kwiAfcon naseQatar nangona isiqalo sakhe sasithembisa. Ngoku ulola aBafana Bafana ukuze badibane neLiberia emdlalweni ohlakulela iAfcon elandelayo bebukhali macala.
Kwiveki ephelileyo, uMzantsi Afrika udlale imidlalo yokucweya emibini. Injongo kukujonga abadlali abakuya emfazweni kunyaka ozayo. Okuncomekayo kukuba aBafana bayibethile iMozambique ngo’2-1 phambi kokudlala ntanganye neAngola ngo’1-1 emidlalweni ebiseMbombela Stadium. Emva komdlalo wokuqala, uBroos ebechulumancile ngoba abadlali bakhe boyise oomakhelwane behamba phambili emdlalweni. Kodwa izinto khange zifane emdlalweni wesibini ngoba iAngola ibilushica. Kanti phambi kwale midlalo ebiseMpumalanga, aBafana Bafana bebethe iSierra Leorne neBotswana kwiinyanga eziphelileyo. “Aziphoxanga iziphumo wanamhlanje,” utshilo uBroos emva komdlalo.
“Ewe, ndifuna siphumelele yonke imidlalo esiyidlalayo – kodwa ke kwenzeke into ebesiyilindele. Asidlalanga ngendlela esidlale ngayo ngethuba sidibene neMozambique ngoba bekukho abadlali abakhale ngokudinwa. Sifake abanye abadlali sinethemba lokudlala ngcono – kodwa akubanga njalo. Into encomekayo kukuba asibethwanga yiAngola ebidakasa kuwo,” utshilo uBroos ovakalise ukoneliseka ziziphupho azifumeneyo. “Ndonelisekile ngumsebenzi esiwenzileyo. Amaqela esidlale nawo adlala ngendlela efanayo neLiberia. Livavanyiwe iqela kwaye sibonisile ukuba singaya kwiAfcon elandelayo,” uvale ngaloo mazwi uBroos. UMzantsi Afrika uza kuqubisana neLiberia kwinyanga yoKwindla kunyaka ozayo.
Lumka Oliphant: ‘Yekani utywala’