Amathuba okuqopha umlando kwi-Afcon eMorocco

UKUQALA kwe-Africa Cup of Nations eMorocco ngeSonto kuzonika amaqembu kanye nabadlali abazobamba iqhaza kulo mqhudelwano amathuba okuzifaka emabhukwini omlando ngezindlela ezahlukene.

Selokhu lo mqhudelwano wadlalwa okokuqala eSudan ngo-1957, kunamazwe kanye nabadlali abenza izinto ezimangalisayo kuwona, ezinye okungelula ukuthi ziphindeke maduzane.

Amarekhodi amaqembu

I-Egypt isaphethe irekhodi lokunqoba lo mqhudelwano amahlandla ayisikhombisa futhi yilona kuphela izwe elake laba ngompetha kathathu kulandelana. Yadla isicoco se-Afcon ngo-2006, 2008 nango-2010.

ICameroon, elandelayo ngezicoco ezinhlanu, ingalinciphisa igebe uma ingadla umhlanganiso kulo mqhudelwano wanonyaka ozoqala ngoMsombuluko eMorocco. IGhana, enezicoco ze-Afcon ezine, ihlulekile ukuzibekisela indawo kulo mqhudelwano.

Njengoba lingekho izwe elizobe lidlala okokuqala kwi-Afcon kulo nyaka, lokhu kusho ukuthi asangu-10 amazwe akuleli zwekazi angakaze abe yingxenye yawo, okuyiCentral African Republic, Chad,  Djibouti, Eritrea, Eswatini, Lesotho, São Tomé and Príncipe, Seychelles, Somalia neSouth Sudan.

I-Ivory Coast inenselelo yokuqeda ishobolo leminyaka lokuthi iqembu elisuke livikela isicoco lisheshe liwashiswe ijezi. Selokhu i-Egypt yagcina ukuvikela isicoco ngo-2010, bonke ompetha abakwazanga ukufinyelela kuma-quarterfinal emiqhudelwani elandelayo.

Kwi-Afcon edlule iqembu elalivikela indebe, iSenegal, lakhishwa kwi-Last 16, linqotshwa yi-Ivory Coast kumaphenathi.

Amarekhodi abaqeqeshi

Nakuba kunabaqeqeshi asebeke bawunqoba kathathu lo mqhudelwano, uCharles Gyamfi waseGhana noHassan Shehata wase-Egypt, munye kuphela oseke wanqoba lesi sicoco namazwe amabili ahlukene.

Lowo ngumqeqeshi odabuka eFrance, uHerve Renard, owanqoba neZambia ngo-2012 ne-Ivory Coast ngo-2015.

Umqeqeshi weBafana Bafana, uHugo Broos, angakwenza lokhu uma enganqobisa iqembu lakuleli eMorocco kwazise isicoco sakhe sokuqala wasithola neCameroon ngo-2017 eGabon.

Babili abasohlwini lwabanqoba i-Afcon bengabadlali baphinde bayiwina sebeqeqesha. UMahmoud El-Gohary wanqoba edlalela i-Egypt ngo-1959, waphinda futhi eseyiqeqesha ngo-1998. UStephen Keshi wadla isicoco engukaputeni weNigeria ngo-1994 nangesikhathi esecija leli qembu ngo-2013.

Inkakha yase-Egypt, uHossam Hassan enezindondo ezintathu zegolide eyazithola isengumdlali, isethubeni lokungena kulolu luhlu olukhethekile njengoba isiqeqesha iPharaohs.

Amarekhodi abadlali

Nakuba uHassan adlala kwi-Afcon amahlandla ayisikhombisa futhi ayedumile ngokungayibheki inethi, akuyena ophethe irekhodi lamagoli amaningi kulo mqhudelwano. Leli rekhodi ngelenkakha yaseCameroon, uSamuel Eto’o, owahlohla amagoli angu-18 emiqhudelwaneni eyisithupha kusukela ngo-2000 kuya ku-2010.

Njengoba abadlali abaningi abalandela u-Eto’o nabo sebawagaxa emgibeni, oseduze osadlala yisethenjwa saseSenegal, uSadio Mane, esishaye amagoli ayisishiyagalolunye kwi-Afcon ngokuhlukana kweminyaka. Lo mdlali kungadingeka ukuthi ahlohle amagoli angu-10 kulo mqhudelwano ukuze aqophe irekhodi elisha.

Irekhodi eselihlale isikhathi eside kodwa elingaphuka uma kungaba nomdlali oba nomqhudelwano omuhle, elokushaya amagoli amaningi kwi-Afcon eyodwa. Okwamanje lisaphethhwe nguMulumba N’Daye waseDemoratic Republic of Congo owabhakuzisa inethi amahlandla ayisishiyagalolunye ngo-1974.

ULaurent Pokou usaphethe elokuhlohla amagoli amaningi emdlalweni owodwa, okwenzeka ngesikhathi eshayela i-Ivory Coast amagoli amahlanu iguqisa i-Ethiopia ngo 6-1 ngo-1970.

Umakadebona waseMozambique owadlalela amaqembu amaningi kuleli, u-Elias Pelembe Domingues (42), usethubeni lokuba ngumdlali waphakathi omdala kunabo bonke abagijima kwi-Afcon. 

Irekhodi lomdlali omdala kunabo bonke uma kuhlanganiswe nonozinti, liphethwe owayevimbela i-Egypt, u-Essam El Hadary, owadlala eneminyaka engu-44 ngo-2017.