Umqeqeshi weBafana Bafana, uShakes Mashaba, uthi mhla eli lizwe laze lasombulula ingxaki yokufumana amagowuli emidlalweni, lawuze lihlaze amazwe amaninzi. ABafana Bafana badibana neSenegal kumdlalo ozakube usePeter Mokaba Stadium, ePolokwane, ngentsimbi yesithathu emalanga ngoMgqibelo. 

Lo mdlalo ujongwe ngamehlo abomvu ngabalandeli balamazwe omabini ngowokuzibekela indawo kwindebe yebhola ekhatywayo ezakube iseRussia ngo’2018.

Umba wokunqongophala kwabadlali abafaka amagowuli amaninzi yinto eliphethe mbengwana ilizwe loMzantsi Afrika, kokubini kwinqanaba lehlabathi nakwimidlalo ye-Absa Premier Soccer League. 

Lo nto ithi ilichane kakubi iqela lesizwe xa lizama ukufumana indawo kwiitumente ezibalulekileyo – kodwa uShakes uthi unethemba elikhulu njengokuba kufike ifolosi entsha enkampini yeBafana Bafana. Le folosi intsha nguLars Veldwijk – ufaf’olude oludlalela iKV Kortrijk yaseBelgium.

Ukusukela mhla kwaphuma abadlali abafana noBenni McCarthy noShaun Barttlet kwiqela lesizwe, kwabakho ingxaki yokungabikho kwabadlali abafaka amagowuli abazifolosi.

UMzantsi Afrika uchaneka phantse kuyo yonke imidlalo [yawo] ngenxa yale ngxaki – ngoku umbuzo uthi: lingathembela na ilizwe kuVeldwijk? Akukho bani waziyo ade adlale umdlalo wakhe wokuqala. 

“Ukusukela ngomhla wam wokuqala njengomqeqeshi weBafana Bafana, xa ndimamele abaqeqeshi bamaqela adlala kwiPSL bakhala ngabadlali abangakwazi ukufaka amagowuli logama benawo amathuba. Siyazama nathi ukusombulula lo ngxaki. Sinenye ifolosi [Lars Veldwijk], siyathemba izinto zakusihambela kakuhle – ufake igowuli kumdlalo wobuhlobo apha phakathi evekini ngethuba sidlala neMolemole Academy,” utshilo uMashaba.

Njengokuba iSenegal ililizwe elinamandla nobuchule obungumangaliso ebholeni – uShakes ufuna iifolosi zakhe zibenoburhalarhume phambi kweephali futhi zibonise ukunxanelwa amagowuli.

Oku kulangazelelwa kangaka kwamagowuli nguShakes Mashaba akothusi, ngoba, ukuba iqela lakhe alikwazanga ukulibetha iSenegal – lo nto iyakuthetha ukuthi uMzantsi Afrika ungaphantse ulahlekelwe ngamathuba okuya kwindebe yehlabathi kwakhona emva kokuyibukela ngamehlo ebiseBrazil ngo’2014.

“Yazi, ibhola yenye into ndiyakuxelela. Ukuba awuzithembanga, awunalo tu ithuba lokuphumelela umdlalo. Kufuneka ubeqatha futhi usebenzise amandla phambi kweepali. Sisebenza nzima enkampini. Yivapha, mhla eli qela lafaka amagowuli; lawuze lihlaze abantu abaninzi. Siyawadala amathuba – kodwa ingxaki, okwangoku, kukuwafaka emnatheni. Masithembe abadlali esinabo ngoku bakuthi basincede kwicala lamagowuli,” utshilo uShakes kwiintatheli ePolokwane.

Ukuba iSenegal, ehleli phezulu kuGroup D, iyaphumelela – lo nto iyakuwutheza amandla uMzantsi Afrika. Kodwa ukuba amakhwenkwe kaMashaba ayaphumelela, lo nto iyakuthi incede uMzantsi Afrika ucime ihlazo lokungakwazi ukuya kwi-2017 Afcon. Kulindeleke uVeldwijk awuqale umdlalo ngomso ePolokwane ebukelwe ngabazali bakhe abahlala eNetherlands.