Usola ukungaziphathi kahle kukaMatlaba uSikhosana
ISOLA ukuziphatha budlabha njengesizathu esenza uThabo “Festival” Matlaba ashaywe ngomzimba ngabaqeqeshi be-Orlando Pirates, inkakha yeziMnyama uJerry “The Legs of Thunder” Sikhosana.
Selokhu kufike uRulani Mokwena noMilutin “Micho” Srodojevic njengabaqeqeshi kwiBucs, indawo kaMatlaba odlala nhlangothi zombili emuva, ibonakala ilokhu ishabalala.
Ijezi lidliwa ngo-Innocent Maela noMarshall Munetsi abashaya into ecokeme.
Lokhu kwenze uMatlaba wakhohlakala kakhulu, nokugcine ngokuthi kusabalale imibiko ethi angase abolekiswe. Sekungumlando ukuthi elinye lamaqembu okuthiwa belimfuna iChippa United, egcine ishaye isikhala imemezela ukuthi usesayinile kodwa kungenjalo.
Kuvele ukuthi uMatlaba walile ukubolekiswa, wathi ufuna ukuyilwela indawo yakhe eqenjini.
USikhosana onqobe isicoco seCaf Champions League nePirates ngo-1995, uthi uMatlaba kungenzeka ukuba akaziphethe kahle. “Into esingayibuki kahle thina uma sikude namaqembu ukuthi amaqembu abuka ukuziphatha kwabadlali. Umdlali engashaya ingcwenga yebhola kodwa uma enekhanda elixegayo liyameqa ijezi. Ngisola lokho ekuziphatheni kwakhe, kungakho ithimba labaqeqeshi limshaya ngesithende.
“Konke sekulele kuMatlaba ukuthi ufuna kangakanani ukudlalela iPirates. Indaba isekuziphatheni, kuzofanele ahloniphe azihloniphe naye. Isibonelo nje, uHappy Jele usengukaputeni njengamanje naye uke waba sesimeni esifanayo sokungaziphathi kahle kodwa ubuyile wazithoba, wadlala kahle, buka ukuphi manje. Abadlali kufanele bakuqonde ukuthi iqembu liyohleze lilikhulu kunomdlali.”
Phakathi kwamagoli angasoze akhohlakala kubathandi banobhutshuzwayo kuleli ashaywa uSikhosane, igoli alishaya kowanqamu kwiChampions League, iPirates idlala ne-Asec Mimosas yaseIvory Coast, edolobheni i-Abidjan.
IPirates yanqoba ngo 1-0 wegoli likaSikhosana, yaphakamisa isicoco okwakungokokuqala emlandweni webhola lakuleli ukunqoba isicoco seCAF Champions League. “IPirates ingayiwina iligi uma ingezobukela amanye amaqembu phansi, igcine umgqigqo evale nagwo ngesizini edlule. Kweminye imidlalo ngesizini edlule bebebuye beye amaqembu bazithola sebedlala ngokulingana isidingo singekho, ngakho uma bengalungisa lapho angingabazi ukuthi bengasinqoba isicoco seligi.”