Kubheda uhlelo kwiSafa esidinga imiqondo emisha
AKEKHO owake wacabanga ukuthi owayengumdlali webhola wase-Afrika othathwa ngokuthi waba nempumelelo kunabo bonke phesheya kwezilwandle, uGeorge Tawlon Manneh Oppong Ousman Weah, wayengaba uMengameli wezwe waseLiberia ngelinye ilanga.
Le nkakha eyayiphiwe kunobhutshuzwayo yaziwa ngokuba ngumdlali wokuqala futhi kwagcina ngayo e-Afrika ukuqokwa ibe yiFifa World Player of the Year okwaholela ekutheni iwine iBallon d’Or ngo-1995. UWeah waphinde waba yi-African Footballer of the Year ngo-1996.
Konke lokhu kwakumfanele uWeah ngenxa yokuthi wayegila izimanga emaqenjini ayewadlalela, okubalwa kuwona iMonaco, yaseFrance, Paris SainteGermaine, yakhona eFrance, AC Milan yase-Italy, Manchester City neChelsea FC, okungamqaqembu ase-England.
UWeah, oneminyaka engu-51, uqophe umlando ngokhethwa abe nguMengameli waseLiberia ekubeni wayegxile ekudlaleni ibhola isikhathi eside.
Abadlali abaningi banquma ukugxila ekuqeqesheni uma sebegaxe amakhokho abo emgibeni kodwa uWeah ubone kubalulekile ukuthi angene kwezepolitiki ukuze kube khona umehluko awenzayo ezweni lakhe.
Angifuni nokho ukugxila kakhulu kwezepolitiki ngoba angibukhali kuzona kodwa ngizovele ngihlale endabeni eyenze ukuthi ngendlalele ngoWeah ogcotshwe kulo leli sonto kwesokwengamela iLiberia.
Ngithinta indaba kaWeah nje, yingoba ngibona indlela izinto ezenzeka ngayo kwiSouth African Football Association (Safa) okuyinhlangano eyengamele ibhola lethu eNingizimu Afrika.
Ngingasho nje ngingananazi ukuthi kubheda uhlelo kule nhlangano. Lokhu kufakazelwa ukuthi izinto ezingaphansi kwayo aziqondile. Akekho ongachaza nje ukuthi yini ebambile ukuthi iSafa iqoke umqeqeshi weBanyana Banyana njengoba sekunesikhathi uVera Pauw ashiya lesi sikhundla.
UDesiree Ellis sekucishe kuyophela unyaka ebambile kodwa uma kuthintwa iSafa ayicacisi ukuthi uzoqashwa nini umqeqeshi ozothatha izintambo ngokugcwele.
Ziningi nje nezinye izinto ezishayisa amakhala ngobuholi nezinqumo zeSafa okuyinto eyenza uzibuze ukuthi ngabe asidingi yini imiqondo yabantu abafana noLucas Radebe kule nhlangano asebeke balidlala ibhola ezingeni eliphezulu.
Angifuni nokuyiphatha indaba yokuthi sihluleke sancama ukuzibekisela indawo eRussia ngenxa yakho belu ukuthatha izinqumo ezingaphusile kweSafa.
Ngiyazi uma ngithi kwakungafanele kuxoshwe u-Ephraim “Shakes” Mashaba sesiphakathi nemidlalo yokuhlungela iNdebe yoMhlaba ka-2018, ngizozwakala njengomuntu obelesela into eyodwa ngoba sengake ngaloba ngakho lokhu kuyona le ngosi.
Njengoba kuzoqokwa ubuholi obusha beSafa ngoMashi 25 ngibona sisazogida ndawonye uma kungukuthi kuzogcina kubanga uDanny Jordaan, ongumengameli weSafa manje, neNkosi uMwelo Nonkonyane, esivele yathushuka esikhaleni ngemuva kwesikhathi eside ‘yaxoshwa’ yizifunda zeSafa kule nhlangano.
Womabili la madoda angiwaboni kukhona azolisiza ngakho ibhola lethu ekutheni lithuthuke liye phambili. UNonkonyane useke waba khona kwiSafa isikhathi eside phambilini lapho yayizishayela khona udaka ithatha izinqumo ezazikushiya umangele uma ulandela unobhutshuzwayo. Angazi noma kukhona yini okusha angeza nakho uma engaba umengameli kodwa ngibona sengathi singabe sibuyela umuva uma kungaqokwa yena. Anginanxa nakancane noJordaan kodwa ngizosho ngaphandle kokunanaza ukuthi uhluleke ngamalengiso kwezinye izinto obekumele azenze engumengameli weSafa.
Ngeledlule leli phephanda libhale udaba obeluthi kulindwe yena uJordaan ukuthi acacise ngomqeqeshi ozocija iBanyana. Kanti yini ngempela elukhuni ngokuqoka umuntu ozovala lesi sikhala ngokusemthethweni? IBanyana inemidlalo ebalulekile kulo nyaka kodwa namanje kusabanjwa kuyekwa ngomqeqeshi wayo.
Eyokuthi sizoyibuka kwithelevishini iNdebe yoMhlaba ngiyibona iyiphutha lakhe futhi uJordaan. Ngiyazi ukuthi ngike ngakusho lokhu phambilini kodwa ngizokuphinda ngoba ngiyakholelwa ekutheni kwakuzowenza umehluko.
UJordaan wayengaxoxa kangcono noMashaba aqhubeke nokuqeqesha iBafana ize izibekisele indawo kweyomhlaba. Ukushintsha abaqeqeshi phakathi nemidlalo yokuhlunga kwaba yiphutha elikhulu. Angazike noma labo asebenzisana nabo uJordaan kwiSafa abakubonanga yini lokho ngesikhathi kuthathwa isinqumo sokuqasha uStuart Baxter.
Ukubambelela kuJordaan noNonkonyane kuwukubuyela emuva kakhulu. Enye into okumele sizame ukuyigwema ukudlalela kude nepolitiki uma sizama ukubuyisa isithunzi sebhola laseNingizimu Afrika. UJordaan uke waba yimeya yasePort Elizabeth ngaxakeka ukuthi kazi uzowancelisa kanjani amawele. Namanje ngisazibuza ukuthi wayeyilawula kanjani iSafa ezinze ePort Elizabeth lapho ayeyimeya khona.
URadebe useke wasiphakamisa isandla wathi angathanda ukuba ngumengameli weSafa ukuze azame ukushintsha izinto ebholeni laseNingizimu Afrika.
Ngiyazi ukuthi mancane amathuba okuthi uRhoo akufeze lokho ngoba akekho ongamphakamisa ukuthi abe ngumengameli weSafa. Nokho mina ngingamgqugquzela ukuthi angapheli amandla emizameni yakhe ngoba ngeke wazi ukuthi kuzokwenzekani ngomuso. UWeah engendlalele ngaye kule ngosi kade ayezama futhi ugcine ephumelele ngemuva kweminyaka. Ngiyaqonda ukuthi ukuba ngumengameli weSafa akumele ngikuqhathanise nokufezwe uWeah eLiberia ngoba kuyizinto ezimbili ezehlukene. Kodwa lokhu kumele kubagqugquzele abadlali abafana noRadebe abanesifiso sokubona ibhola lethu liya phambili, singalokhu sibuyela emuva kubantu abehluleke bancama ukuliphucula eminyakeni edlule. ISafa idinga igazi elisha nemiqondo emisha.