Ifolosi ye’Orlando Pirates, uTshegofatso Mabasa, ivule isifuba ngokushiywa kwayo ngumqeqeshi weqela lesizwe. Kwiiveki ezidlulileyo, ingxoxo ibishushu kumakhasi onxibelelwano emva kokuba uHugo Broos ebhengeze amagama wabadlali aza kukhetha kubo iqela eliza kudlala imidlalo ehlakulela itumente yehlabathi ezayo (2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers) ebekelwe inyanga yeSilimela. Iifolosi ezibiziweyo nguBroos nguLyle Foster weBurnley, u’Iqraam Rayners weStellenbosch FC naye uEvidence Makgopa wePirates.
UMabasa, 27, udlale kakuhle kakhulu kwisizini esongiweyo. Ube yeyona folosi efake amagowuli amaninzi kwiDStv Premiership ngaphezulu kunezinye. Ufake amagowuli alishumi elinesithandathu. Yiyo lo nto abantu bebuze imibuzo xa engabizwa ngumqeqeshi weqela lesizwe.
Ethetha phambi komdlalo omkhulu weNedbank Cup ophakathi kwePirates neMamelodi Sundowns, uMabasa uthe akumkhathazi ukungachongwa kwakhe. Endaweni yoko, uthe uza kulinda kufike elakhe ixesha. “Xa ndithetha inyaniso, andiphoxekanga. Umdlai nomdlali ufuna ukudlalela iqela lesizwe,” utshilo uMabasa.
“Ndiyakholelwa ukuba into eza kwenzeka, iza kwenzeka nokuba kunini. Jonga into eyenzeke kuThemba Zwane. Naye wakhe akachongwa – kodwa ngoku ubizwa oko kwiqela lesizwe. Asinto endiyicinga kakhulu. Ewe, ndidlala kakuhle – kodwa andizihluphi ngayo ngoba iza kwenzeka ngexesha layo,” utshilo uMabasa ekulindeleke ukuba ancede iPirates eza kulwela ukugcina indebe yeNedbank Cup. Nakubeni uBroos engaboni umdlali ongalinceda iqela lesizwe – kodwa uJose Riveiro umncomile uMabasa ngokwenza umsebenzi omhle kwisizini yeDStv Premiership ka2023/24.
“Xa sithetha ngoMabasa, asithethi ngamagowuli kuphela. Okuhle ngaye kukuba uyakwazi ukusebenzisana nabanye abadlali ebaleni. Ube ngumdlali obalulekileyo kuthi kwisiqingatha sesibini sesizini ngoba ebesoloko ekhona. Ngoku uza kuvuzwa ngokusebenza kakuhle kwiMoroka Swallows aqale kuyo kwisiqingatha sokuqala sesizini,” utshilo uRiveiro. UMabasa uza kufumana iwonga lomdlali ofake amagowuli amaninzi emsithweni wokuvala isizini ekulindeleke ukuba ubanjwe ngeCawe. Kuqwelwa ingqokoqho ngoMgqibelo ngomdlalo ojongwe ngamehlo abomvu ngabalandeli bebhola.
Ishishini leemoto eMpuma Koloni liza kuxhamla kutyalo-mali lweR200-million