OweBanyana ugculisekile ngaphambi koweNigeria
UNOZINTI weBanyana Banyana, uKaylin Swart, uthi iqembu liyilungiselele kahle i-Womens Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) futhi selikubheke ngabomvu ukuvula lo mqhudelwano neNigeria.
Iqembu likaDesiree Ellis lizobhekana neSuper Falcons emdlalweni walo wokuqala kuGroup C, eMoulay Hassan Stadium eRabat, namuhla ngo-7 ebusuku.
USwart uthe bazinze kahle eMorocco, kanti inhloso yabo wukuqala kahle lo mqhudelwano ukuze basondele ephusheni labo lokuletha le ndebe okokuqala eNingizimu Afrika.
"Selokhu safika eMorocco, konke kuhle impela. Ngicabanga ukuthi sonke sikujabulele ukufudumala njengoba sisuke ekhaya sekubanda kakhulu. Sesisijwayele nesimo sezulu futhi wonke umuntu uyakuthokozela ukuba lapha,” kusho uSwart.
"Njengoba sesibheke umdlalo wethu wokuvula siwudinga ngempela umphumela omuhle.
Sonke siyazethemba futhi siwulungele umdlalo wokuqala.
"Abaqeqeshi benze umsebenzi omuhle besilungiselela umdlalo. Sekusele ukuthi sidlale kahle ukuze siqhubekele phambili. Ngiyethemba ukuthi sizoyifeza inhloso yethu yokufinyelela kowamanqamu nokunqoba le ndebe.“
Umqeqeshi weNigeria, uRandy Waldrum, uthe nakuba umdlalo wokuqala neBanyana ubalulekile ngenxa yomlando wamaqembu womabili kodwa kumele bangakhohlwa ukuthi kusamele badlale namanye amaqembu aseqoqweni labo, iBurundi neBotswana.
“Kumele sikhumbule ukuthi kwi-Wafcon yango2018, iNigeria yahlulwa yiNingizimu Afrika emdlalweni wokuqala kodwa yabuya yalinqoba leli qembu kowamanqamu,” usho kanje.
“Siyazi ukuthi umdlalo wokuqala ubalulekile futhi ukuthola amaphuzu amathathu kungasibeka endaweni enhle. Kumele siqonde nokuthi umqhudelwano usebenza kanjani. Noma kungenzekani, sizobe sisakhona kulo mqhudelwano futhi sizoba neminye imidlalo.
"Ngiyazi ukuthi iNingizimu Afrika yasihlula kwi-Aisha Buhari Cup kodwa sasingabophele iqembu lethu eliqinile kulowo mdlalo, ikakhulukazi esiswini.
Sifunde okuningi kuwona futhi sizoba ngcono kulokhu.
"Bayiqembu elisezingeni, siyakuhlonipha lokho, kodwa ngokubona kwami, siyiqembu elihamba phambili e-Afrika."
IBurundi neBotswana bazodlala enkundleni efanayo ngo-10 kusihlwa.
Esithangamini sabezindaba izolo, u-Ellis uthe: “Umdlalo wokuqala womqhudelwano uhlezi umkhulu.
“Lona mkhulu kakhulu ngoba iNigeria ingompetha lokhu okwenza umdlalo ubemkhulu ngaphezu kwalokhu oyikho kodwa umdlalo wokuqala sifuna ukuqala kahle.
“Siyazi kuzoba umdlalo onzima ngoba balokhu bekwazile ukubamba umgqigqo kule minyaka edlule, okuyinto okumele sikhuphule kuyo izinga ukuze nathi sibalwe nabahamba phambili.
“Kodwa okwamanje okumqoka amaphuzu amathathu ukuze siqale kahle umqhudelwano.”