Ubafuna kwiBafana abePirates
UMQEQESHI we-Orlando Pirates, uMilutin “Micho” Sredojevic, uhlose ukukhulisa isibalo sabadlali beZimnyama eqenjini lesizwe laseNingizimu Afrika iBafana Bafana.
Njengamanje iBucs inomdlali oyedwa kuphela eqenjni lesizwe. Leli qembu limelwe ngunozinti uWayne Sandilands kuphela kwelesizwe okuyinto ebingenzeki eminyakeni eyedlule. Abadlali abafana nokaputeni weqembu uThabo Matlaba noMpho Makola, asebeke babizwa kwiBafana phambilini, akababheki umqeqeshi weBafana uStuart Baxter kulezi nsuku.
USandilands kubhekwe ukuthi ahlale ebhentshini emidlalweni yokuhlungela iNdebe yoMhlaba emibili ezayo. U-Itumeleng Khune nguyena okulindeleke ukuthi aqale uma elakuleli selibhekene neSenegal emidlalweni emqoka yokuhlungela ukuzibekisela indawo kwiNdebe yoMhlaba eseRussia ngonyaka ozayo.
IBafana izoshukana neSenegal ngoNovemba 10 ePeter Mokaba Stadium, eLimpopo bese ngoNovemba 14 iphinde idudulane neLion of Tharanga ekuhambeni. IBafana idinga ukuyinqoba yomibili le midlalo ukuze izibekisela indawo kwiNdebe yoMhlaba.
Elakuleli lihlezi ekugcineni kuGroup D ngamaphuzu amane ngemuva kwemidlalo emithathu. UMicho ukholwa wukuthi baningi abadlali bakhe abasazongqongqoza kwelesizwe.
“Kungumsebenzi womqeqeshi weqembu lesizwe uBaxter, ukuqoka iqembu lesizwe eliqinile. Njengamanje sinonozinti oyedwa kuphela kwelesizwe (uSandilands). Bonke abadlali bethu basebenza ngokuzikhandla ukutshengisa isizwe ukuthi basezingeni lokudlala eqenjini lesizwe. Ngikholwa wukuthi sinabadlali abaningi maduze nje abazongqongqoza kwiBafana,” kusho uSredojevic.
UBaxter umshaye ngesithende uThabo “Section10” Qalinge oyibamba ngasezinhlangothini. UQalinge usefomini eyisimanga kweZimnyama kanti ungomunye obekubhekwe ukuthi angafakwa kwiBafana.
Abadlali abebejwayele ukubizwa kwiBafana kodwa nguMakola, owehlelwe yifomu, Thamsanqa Gabuza noMatlaba osedlaliswa enkabeni yenkundla yiBucs.
Phakathi kwabadlali abangqongqoza kwiBafana kungabalwa uQalinge, Innocent Maele no-Abbubeker Mobara. UMaele uyibamba ngakwesokunxele emuva kanti uMobara ugijima emuva noma phakathi nenkundla
emuva. KwiBafana, uMaele umiswe kabi nguSifiso Hlanti weBidvest Wits noTebogo Langerman weMamelodi Sundowns. IPirates izobhekana nePolokwane City emdlalweni we-quarterfinal yeTelkom Knockout e-Orlando Stadium, eSoweto, ngoMgqibelo ngo-8.15 ebusuku. Nalapho kuzobe kubhekwe uQalinge ukuthi asize iqembu lidlulele kowandulela owamanqamu.
Imidlalo yeTelkom Knockout (quarterfinal):
NgoMgqibelo: Platinum Stars v Bloemfontein Celtic (Royal Bafokeng Stadium, 3.30pm); Orlando Pirates v Polokwane City (Orlando Stadium, 8.15pm); Bidvest Wits v Baroka FC (Bidvest Stadium, 8.15pm)
NgeSonto: Chippa United v Kaizer Chiefs (Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, 3.30pm)