Icacile indlela ye-Afcon kwiBafana
KUNGAFANELE kuvele imbedumehlwana engenza iBafana Bafana ihluleke ukuzibekisela indawo kweyamanqamu ye-Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) ezokuba seCameroon ngonyaka ozayo ngoba indlela eqale ngayo ku-Group E nemithetho emisha yomqhudelwano ikwenza kubukeke kulula kwezikaStuart Baxter.
IBafana igcine ukudlala ku-Afcon ngo-2015 e-Equatorial Guinea lapho ishaywe khona yonke imidlalo yamaqoqo yize owayengumqeqeshi u-Ephraim “Shakes” Mashaba ayethe iqembu lakhe lizosidla isicoco ngaphambi kokuqala komqhudelano. Elakuleli lizotheleka eThekwini namuhla ukuzolungeselela umdlalo wokuhlunga neLibya ngoMgqibelo ngo-3 ntambama eMoses Mabhida Stadium.
Iqembu likaBaxter liqale ngonyawo oluhle linqoba kwiNigeria ekuhambeni.
Ukunqoba kweBafana kwiLibya kuzoyibeka ethubeni elihle ukuthi ibe phakathi kwamazwe azokuba eseCameroon ngonyaka ozayo.
Ngemuva komdlalo weLybia, iBafana izobhekana kabili neSeychelles. Owokuqala uzoba sekhaya ngo-Okthoba 13 bese kulandela owasekuhambeni ngemuva kwezinsuku ezintathu.
Nakuba uBaxter eshumayela ivangeli lokuthi kungabikhona amazwe athathwa kancane kodwa ukunqoba kwezakhe kwiLibya bese enza okufanayo kule midlalo yangenyanga ezayo neSeychelles nakanjani indawo izobe isisondele. Ngaphandle kokubukeka kweqoqo lithambile, imithetho yeCaf ephasiswe ngonyaka odlule lapho kukhushulwe khona isibalo samazwe asuka ku-16 aya ku-24 ilenzela kube lula futhi iqembu likaBaxter. Eminyakeni edlule bekudlula izwe elilodwa eqoqweni kodwa manje sekuhamba amabili.
Kusemqoka ukuthi uBaxter angalokothi enze amaphutha awenze iBafana ihluleka ukuzibekisela indawo koweNdebe yoMhlaba eRussia lapho yaxhashazwa khona yiCape Verde ekuhambeni nasekhaya.
Ukubuyela koweLybia, uBaxter utshele abezindaba ngoLwesihlanu ukuthi uzosivala noma kanjani isikhala esivuleke kuhoxa u-Andre Arendse opheka onozinti. U-Arendse ukhale ngokuxinwa yizinto zomndeni okushiye uBaxter engenaye umqeqeshi wonozinti ngoba usele noMolefi Ntseki.
Kuthintwa iSafa izolo, uDominic Chimhavi uthe usekhona ozovala isikhala sika-Arendse kodwa abavumelekile ukumusho ngoba uzomenyezelwa namuhla esithangamini nabezindaba eThekwini.