ISafa isamdinga omunye
UNOBHUTSHUZWAYO waseNingizimu Afrika, uyabadinga abaholi abanobuchule obujulile bokuhola iSafa enomthwalo wokubuyisa udumo lweBafana Bafana ebholeni lomhlaba njengoba bekwenzeka ngesikhathi sikaSolomon “Stix” Morewa, ongasekho.
IBafana izenzele umsebenzi wokufinyelela kwi-Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) waba nzima, ibambana neSuper Eagles yaseNigeria ngo-1-1 ngoMgqibelo ntambama eFNB Stadium, eGauteng. Lo mphumela uqhubekile nokulahlekisa ngethemba kubathandi bakanobhutshuzwayo bakuleli. Sekumele iBafana iqinisekise ukuthi kayehlulwa yiLibya emdlalweni wokugcina wokuhlunga ozokuba ngoNdasa (March) wonyaka ozayo ekuhambeni. ILibya kayigayelwa mphako njengoba inqobe iSeychelles ngo-8-1 isekuhambeni.
Ukungenzi kahle kweBafana, sekwalubulala kakhulu ugqozi kubalandeli ukuhambela imidlalo yaleli qembu ebelingaconsi iSafa isaholwa nguMorewa ngasekuqaleni kwama-1990’s. Kulabo ababa nenhlanhla yokubuka iBafana isanda kubuyela ebholeni lomhlaba, kuvusa amanxeba ukuyibuka esikhathini sanamuhla njengoba isidlala ngendlela elahlisa ngethemba.
IBafana ibithandwa ngendlela ebabazekayo isaqeqeshwa nguClive “The Dog” Barker, oyihole yanqoba i-Afcon ngo-1996 kuleli, waphinda wayifaka okokuqala emidlalweni yeNdebe yoMhlaba ebiseFrance ngo1998. Sekuwumlando ukuthi iBafana kaBarker ibiyigcwalisa phama iFNB njengoba kwakungekho ngisho indawo yokubeka unyawo inqoba iCongo-Brazzaville ngo-1-0 wembumbulu yegoli likaPhilemon “Chippa” Masinga mhla ka-16 kuNcwaba (August) wango-1997.
Cishe kugcine ngesikhathi sikaBarker ukuthi iBafana yethenjwe ngokugcwele ngabalandeli. Pho konakalephi emuva kwalokho njengoba abalandeli sebehambela kude neBafana? Izikhulu zeSafa emuva kukaMorewa yikuphi ezikwenzile ukugcina udumo lwaleli qembu? Siyazibuza ukuthi abaholi beSafa bathule bathini uStuart Baxter, ocija iBafana, elibeka ngesihloko kusalungiselelwa umdlalo neNigeria elokuthi akanasiqiniseko ngokuthi elakuleli lizofinyelela yini kwi-Afcon ezokuba seCameroon ngonyaka ozayo.
Le nkulumo ithena amandla kubalandeli nakubadlali. Yingakho-ke kungethusanga uma umdlalo weBafana neNigeria uqhubeka nokuheha abalandeli abayinkeshezana ukuqhathanisa nabahambela imidlalo okusuke kubhekene kuyona izinkunzi zakuleli, iKaizer Chiefs, i-Orlando Pirates neMamelodi Sundowns. Amathikithi omdlalo weChiefs nePirates we- semi final yeTelkom Knockout, ozokuba ngoMgqibelo eThekwini, adayiswa aphela emahoreni amabili.
Yize eyodwa kula makilabhu nakanjani ingeke ifinyelele kowamanqamu, kodwa zombili izinhlangothi zikhuluma eyokuyiqukula le nkomishi. Lokhu kugcina abalandeli bewulangazelele nakakhulu umdlalo futhi nelukuluku liphezulu kubadlali.
Siyazi ukuthi kakukho soka lingenasici, kodwa uMorewa usahamba yedwa ngempumelelo ekulesi sihlalo, kwazise nguyena owaqhamuka nombono wokukhankasela imidlalo yeNdebe yoMhlaba ukuba ize kuleli okugcine kwenzekile ngo-2010. Uma abaholi beSafa bengajiki ukuqalaza, leli qembu lizogcina selibukwa yizinyoni.