Ubona umqeqeshi weBafana kuMcCarthy
UKUHLABANA kukaBenni McCarthy ngesicoco sakhe sokuqala njengomqeqeshi ngesizini yakhe yesibili ekulo msebenzi, kuqinise idolo inkakha kunobhutshuzwayo waseNingizimu Afrika ngokuthi ikusasa nempumelelo yeBafana Bafana kusezandleni zabaqeqeshi baseMzansi.
Insephe ewuMcCarthy inyakazise iTheku neNingizimu Afrika yonke inqoba isicoco seMTN8 neCape Town City eMoses Mabhida Stadium, eThekwini, ngoMgqibelo ebusuku.
EzikaBenni ziguqise iSuperSport United ngo 4-1 sekukhahlelwa amaphenathi ngemuva kokubambana ngo 0-0 emdlalweni wamanqamu obuthanyelwe yizinkumbi.
Enye yezinkakha zikanobhutshuzwayo waseMzansi, uLucky Mhlathi, odlale kwiJomo Cosmos kodwa ngesikhathi esifanayo noMcCarthy esakwiSeven Stars, itshele Isolezwe ukuthi ibona le nsephe ibuyisa isithunzi seBafana njengalokhu isizamazisile isadlala.
“Uyakhumbula ngesikhathi ehamba kwiPirates wathi ‘ngikulungele ngokwanele ukuqeqesha leli qembu. Yingakho nje ngiyokwenza ilayisense yami ye-Uefa u-A no-B ukuze ngibuye ngizoqeqesha iPirates’.
“Ukunqoba kwakhe indebe bekuvele kuyinto ezayo nje, yisikhathi ebesingakafiki njengoba nanyakenye ngesizini yakhe yokuqala efinyelele kowamanqamu,” kusho uMhlathi.
Le nkakha ibixoxa neSolezwe ingesinye sezitatanyiswa kwiNdumeni Municipality Mayoral Cup ngeSonto.
UMhlathi udlale eqenjini ebelibophele izingwazi okubalwa kuzo izinkakha ze-Orlando Pirates, uMbulelo Mabizela no-Andile Cele baseMgungundlovu.
Bonke laba badlali badlale ngesikhathi esifanayo noMcCarthy kodwa yena wahluka ngokubasela inqwaba yamagoli kwiBafana njengoba namanje esaphethe irekhodi lamaningi emlandweni waleli qembu ngawu-32.
Uke wabasela amane kwiAfrica Cup of Nations ngo-1998 ebiseBurkina Faso kanti nguye yedwa umdlali wakuleli onendondo ye-Uefa Champions League nokuyisicoco asinqobe neFC Porto ebicijwa nguJose Mourinho ngo-2004.
UMhlathi uthe okwenza uMcCarthy alungele ukufukula iBafana akusikho nje ukuyisebenzela njengomdlali noma ukunqoba isicoco sokuqala njengalokhu kwenze abantu abafana no-Eric Tinkler nabo abayidlalele kodwa:
“Wathi uzobuya azosiza iPirates ngoba uyabona ukuthi yini eshodayo kodwa bheka. Isizini yokuqala kowamanqamu. Kweyesibili uyanqoba kowamanqamu. Ungumuntu ohlezi ethi, ‘Ngiyazi ngingakwenza lokhu’. Ungumnqobi. Eneminyaka ewu-17 ugile izimanga kwi-Afcon ehambe noJomo Sono.
“Ngimbona eyoqeqesha iBafana Bafana eyithatha eyibeka kwelinye izinga ngoba uyalazi ibhola laseMzansi kanjalo nabadlali ukuthi bacabanga kanjani, nabase-Europe nabase-Afrika. Ungumqeqeshi oselikhombisile izwe ukuthi uyayazi into ayenzayo.”
Ngesizini edlule ezikaMcCarthy, obalwa nabaqeqeshi abasebancane ukubedlula bonke kwi-Absa Premiership, ziqede endaweni yesihlanu kwi-log kanti njengamanje zisayibambe kunombolo 10.
Namuhla zidlala neBidvest Wits eCape Town Stadium ngo-7.30 kusihlwa.
Endumeni bekudlala amaward ahlukene akuMasipala waseNdumeni adlala imidlalo ehlukene okubalwa kuyo unobhutshuzwayo, i-netball nekhilikithi.
Khonamanjalo limenyezelwe izolo iqembu leBafana elizobhekana neSychelles emidlalweni emibili yokuhlungela i-Afcon. Iqembu limi kanje: Onozinti: Itumeleng Khune (Chiefs), Ronwen Williams (SS Utd), Darren Keet (Wits).
Izitobha: Ramahlwe Mphahlele (Chiefs), Motjeka Madisha, Thapelo Morena (Downs), Siyanda Xulu (Maritzburg), Thulani Hlatshwayo, Buhle Mkwanazi, Sifiso Hlanti (Wits), Innocent Maela (Pirates).
Abasesiswini: Dean Furman, Teboho Mokoena (SS Utd), Lebogang Maboe, Hlompho Kekana, Sibusiso Vilakazi (Downs), Thabo Nodada (CT City), Kamohelo Mokotjo (Brentford), Vincent Pule (Pirates).
Amafolosi: Lebogang Phiri (Guingamp, France), Dino Ndlovu (Hangzhou, China), Percy Tau (Royal Union, Belgium), Lebo Mothiba (Racing Strasbourg, France), Phakamani Mahlambi (Downs).