UBroos ethubeni lokuba ngumqeqeshi wokuqala weBafana ukuya nayo “eKhenana”

UHUGO Broos osanda kuhola ngempumelelo iBafana Bafana ekuzibekiseleni indawo kwiNdebe yoMhlaba yeFifa ka-2026, usezibeke ethubeni lokuba ngumqeqeshi wokuqala emlandweni weSouth African Football Association (Safa) ukufaka leli qembu kulo mqhudelwano womhlaba, aliqeqeshe nakuwona.   

UBroos (73) othathe izintambo zokuqeqesha iBafana ngo-2021, nakuba abathandi bebhola baseMzansi bekubheke ngabomvu ukuqhubeka kwakhe nokuhola leli qembu kwiNdebe yoMhlaba ngonyaka ozayo, ngakolunye uhlangothi amehlo asazothi njo ebuholini beSafa ukuthi buqhuba kanjani ekuqinisekiseni ukuthi lo mqeqeshi kufika uJuni wangonyaka ozayo esahola leli qembu lesizwe. 

Ngokomlando weBafana Bafana nabaqeqeshi bayo, abaqeqeshi ababili, uClive Barker ongasekho noCarlos Queiroz odabuka ePortugal, abaphumelela ukuyifaka kwiNdebe yoMhlaba ka-1998 neka-2002 ngokwehlukana, bagcina bengakwazanga ukufinyelela naleli qembu lesizwe “ezweni lesethembiso” ngezizathu ezahlukene. 

UBarker owanqobela iBafana indebe ye-Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) ngo-1996, waphinda waba ngumqeqeshi wokuqala waleli qembu lesizwe ukulihola ngempumelelo ekuzibekiseleni indawo kwiNdebe yoMhlaba, ngoDisemba ka-1997 lagqabuka ifindo lomshado phakathi kwakhe neSafa ngemuva kokungavumelani ngokwelulwa kwenkontileka yakhe okwakuhambisana nokukhushulelwa iholo.

Izintambo zathathwa uPhilippe Troussier waseFrance, okunguyena owahola iBafana idlala okokuqala kwiNdebe yoMhlaba eFrance ngo-1998, yaphuma ngomzuliswano wokuqala wesigaba samaqoqo inganqobanga nowodwa umdlalo. 

Kanti uQueiroz owayethathe izintambo ngo-2000, naye wahlukana neBafana ngemuva kwe-Afcon ka-2000 eyayibanjelwe eMali, ngemuva kokuba iBafana yehlulwe kuma-quarterfinal alo mqhudelwano. Ukudilizwa kukaQueiroz kwelanywa wukuqokwa kukaJomo Sono ukuthi ahole iBafana iyodlala eKorea/Japan ngo 2002.  

Izintambo zathathwa u-Ephraim “Jomo” Sono sekubhekwe eKorea-Japan ngo-2002, nokuyilapho iBafana yaphinda esifanayo iphuma emzuliswaneni wokuqala wesigaba samaqoqo.

Nokho okukaBroos kubukeka kwehlukile uma kuqhathaniswa nokukaBarker noQuieroz, ikakhulukazi njengoba enenkontileka yeminyaka emihlanu neSafa ezophela ngemuva kweNdebe yoMhlaba yangonyaka ozayo. 

Okumbeka ethubeni elihle lokuya kwiNdebe yoMhlaba neBafana wukuthi ukwazile ukufaka leli qembu kwi-Afcon amahlandla amabili kulandelana.

Kwi-Afcon ebise-Ivory Coast nyakenye, iBafana ifinyelele kowandulela owamanqamu, yabuya nendondo yethusi ngokuthatha indawo yesithathu. 

Nguyena lo mqeqeshi odabuka eBelgium ozobe ehola leli qembu lesizwe kwi-Afcon ezobanjelwa eMorocco kusukela ngoDisemba 21 kuya kuJanuwari 18.

Nakuba ethwelwe ngeqoma ngokuhola iBafana kwiNdebe yoMhlaba ezobanjelwa e-USA, eCanada naseMexico, kodwa indlela iqembu elizokwenza ngayo eMorocco kwi-Afcon, kusengenzeka nakho kunqume ngekusasa lakhe ekuqeqesheni leli qembu kwiNdebe yoMhlaba ngonyaka ozayo.