Iyashisa insimbi akusiniswa mahleza kwi-Absa Premiership
MHLAWUMBE yiminyaka kuphela engenza ngilingane nomqeqeshi weCape Town City engimhloniphayo, uBenni McCarthy (osesithombeni). Uma ngikhumbula kahle sobabili sibone ilanga isifuna ukuyosithela iminyaka ka-1970 okungenza ngimbone njengowethu noma untanga.
Ukulingana kwethu ngokweminyaka kungenza sixoxe indaba eqondile impela ngoba konke esikhule sikubona kucishe kufane. Sekungashiyana lapha nalaphaya ngoba abantu phela abefani futhi ulwazi lwabo luhlale luzoshiyana. Nokho kuyinto ethe bhadla, wena owabona yona impahla yembuzi, ukuthi umfo kaMcCarthy ungehlula kude ngolwazi lwebhola. Phela le nkunzi ngiyihlonipha kakhulu ngesikwenzile kunobhutshuzwayo kusukela ngesikhathi ibasela amagoli amane, iBafana Bafana ibhekene neNamibia kwiAfrica Cup of Nations eStade de Omnisport, eBobo Dioulasso, eBurkina Faso ngo-1998.
Kusukela lapho uBenni waduma kakhulu futhi lolu dumo lwakhe alumenzanga washona phansi kunalokho wadlondlobala. Sikhuluma nje nguyena yedwa umdlali waseNingizimu Afrika onendondo yegolide ye-Uefa Champions League ayithola esagijima kwiFC Porto, yasePortugal ngo-2004. Leli qembu lalicijwa uJose Mourinho oqeqesha iManchester United njengamanje.
Azigcini lapho izindaba zikaBenni wabantwana ngoba nakwiBafana Bafana washiya ezakhele igama. Akekho umgadli oseshaye amagoli amaningi njengaye eqenjini lesizwe njengoba aphanyeka izicathulo zikanobhutshuzwayo emgibeni eseshaye amagoli angu-31. Ulandelwa uShaun Bartlett onawu29.
UBenni useke wagijima nakwi-English Premier League njalo ngakho nalokho akumele kulibaleke. Ubani futhi ongakhohlwa ukuthi ngaphambi kokuthi ayeke ukudlala ibhola ufike wenzani kwi-Orlando Pirates? Angifuni nokuchaza ngoba abafundi bale ngosi bazazi kahle izimanga zikaBenni esagijima kweZimnyama.
Uyabonake ukuthi ungehlula kude kanjani ngebhola uBenni mina engagcina ngilikhahlela obhuqwini lwase-Underberg ngiselusa izinkomo? Kuncane kakhulu engingamtshela ngakho uma kukhulunywa ngebhola ngoba yinto esegazini futhi aphila ngayo.
Nokho nami kukhona lapho ngingathi ngithe thuthu kunaye uBenni uma kungathiwa asixoxe nje siziphungele itiye. Mina ngingazigqaja ngokuthi eminyakeni engu-14 eyedlule sengilibuke kakhulu ibhola lapho bekudingeka ngibhale ngalo. Kwesinye isikhathi bengibuka kwayena uBenni lowo edlala ngakho maningi amathuba okuthi mina nginamava kunaye uma kukhulunywa ngokubuka ibhola ngoba yena isikhathi esiningi ubelidlala.
Angiqonde kuhlekisa kodwa nami yiso lesi isipiliyoni engingasibeka etafuleni uma kungathiwa sixoxa noBenni ngoba ngeke ngimthinte ngokungena ensimini kudlalwe unobhutshuzwayo.
Uma kwenzekake ngilithola lelo thuba lokuhlala nomfo kaMcCarthy sizincokelele siphuza unemenayidi, ngingazama ukuphonsa itshe esivivaneni ngokumtshela ukuthi ukuqeqesha kwi-Absa Premiership akufani nokulidlala ibhola. Iyashisa insimbi kwiPremiership ungabuza uSteve Komphela, Gordon Igesund, Pitso Mosimane, Gavin Hunt nabanye. Bonke laba engithi kumele kubuzwe kubona bayazi kahle ingcindezi yokuba nyamanambana kubalandeli ngenxa yokuthi imiphumela isuke ingavumi. Ngingamchazela uBenni ukuthi kukodwa ukufica iqembu kade lenza kahle ngaphansi komqeqeshi othile, bese uthi nxa uthatha imiphumela kuhambe kahle. Kodwa futhi iqembu like libe yinhlakanhlaka ngendlela eyisimanga bese kudingeka amava akho njengomqeqeshi. Yilaphoke kuvela khona ukuthi wena uphetheni. Uma isishisa insimbi ziningi izaba ozibalayo.
Ngike ngathula ngacabanga ngaze ngahleka ngingedwa uBenni ekhala ngokuthi iCape Town City le ayiqeqeshayo ikhombisa ukuba buthaka ngenxa yokuthi yashiywa uLebogang Manyama. Kodwa ungakhala ngoManyama emuva kwezinyanga ezingaka ahamba? Okunye osekuphuma njalo emlonyeni kaBenni indaba yokugxeka onompempe. Yebo ngiyavuma izinga lonompempe liphansi kakhulu kwi-Absa Premiership kodwa angivumi ukuthi njalo umqeqeshi kumele akhale ngonompempe uma iqembu lakhe lidliwe.
Ngingambuza uBenni uma sizipholele njengontanga ukuthi ngabe waba naso yini isandla unompempe ngesikhathi bevuthululwa yiMaritzburg United ngo 4-2. Ngimbuze futhi ukuthi ukushaywa kwabo yiSuperSport United kowamanqamu weMTN 8 kwaba ngenxa kanompempe yini. Uma impendulo yakhe ithi cha bese ngiqhubeke nokusebenzisa ulwazi lwami (engingathi lwedlula olwakhe) lwePremiership yethu. Naluke engingalusebenzisa: uClinton Larsen akavelanga wenza kahle njengoba engumqeqeshi esanda kuqala wazabalaza isikhathi eside eshisntsha amaqembu kwaze kwalunga. UHunt akavelanga nje wawina izicoco neSuperSport kodwa waqala kwiBlack Leopards neMoroka Swallows lapho engawinanga khona lutho kodwa wasithola isipiliyoni. UMosimane lo osedle ngisho iCAF Champions League neSundowns wabizwa ngesahluleki kwiBafana yize ayeke wenza kahle kwiSuperSport. UKomphela naye uyafuna ukuwina indebe neqembu elithile lePremier Soccer League (PSL) kodwa ukushisa kwensimbi kwenza kube lukhuni satshe. U-Eric Tinkler waba nesikhathi esinzima kwiPirates njengoba umbona esewina izindebe nje. Ngiyakuhlonipha osekwenziwe uBenni ebholeni lomhlaba futhi uyohlale esemlandweni. Mina ngeke nakancane ngisondele kulokhu asekuzuzile futhi kuncane engingameluleka ngakho. Kulokho okuncane nje engingakusho ukuthi akusiniswa amahleza kwiPremiership yaseMzansi, buza obhuti abadala uKomphela noManqoba Mngqithi owaxoshwa yiChippa United ngemuva kwemidlalo emibili ekubeni ayefike ethwelwe ngeqoma.