IMAMELODI Sundowns ibheke ukuthi ikhiphe amangwevu kwiCaf Champions League, yize isenemidlalo emqoka ezoyidlala kweminye imiqhudelwano. Lona wumbono kaTeko Modise, enye yezinkakha zeqembu lasePitoli.
Sekuneminyaka amaBrazilian ehluleka ukungena kowamanqamu eChampions League selokhu aqukula le ndebe okokuqala ngo-2016.
Ngesizini edlule akhishwa yiWydad Athletic kowandulela owamanqamu. Umlenze wokuqala owawuseMorocco waphela zibambene ngo 0-0, owesibili ePitoli waphela ngo 2-2, iWydad yadlula ngenxa yamagoli eyawashaya ekuhambeni.
Kule sizini iqembu likaRhulani Mokwena selingenile kowandulela owamanqamu. Lidlala ne-Esperance yaseTunisia. Umlenze wokuqala ubuseTunisia, eStade Olympique ngoMgqibelo ebusuku lapho liguqe khona ngo 1-0. Owesibili uzobanjelwa kuleli ngempelasonto ezayo. Omunye umdlalo owandulela owamanqamu uphakathi kweTP Mazembe ne-Al Ahly lapho lamaqembu ebambane khona ngo 0-0 emlenzeni wokuqala ngoMgqibelo.
AmaSandawana aqhwakele ngokukhululeka kwiDStv Premiership aphinde azibekisela indawo nakowandulela owamanqamu eNedbank Cup, lapho ezodudulana khona neStellenbosch FC.
UModise uthe nakuba zonke izindebe zibalulekile, iSundowns kufanele izibambe ziqine kakhulu kule midlalo abazoyidlala ne-Esperance.
“Banethuba lokuyinqoba yonke imiqhudelwano esele. Sekusele kancane bathathe isicoco seligi futhi bayafuna ukubuyisa neseNedbank Cup ngemuva kokukhishwa yiStellenbosch FC ngesizini edlule. Akulula neze uma usalwela izindebe eziningi kodwa isikwati siqinile, iqembu lingahlukaniswa likwazi ukunqoba imidlalo,” kusho uModise.
“Iqembu liqine ngokwanele ukuthi linqobe iChampions League. Akukwazi ukuthi kulokhu kuyithina abadlali bokugcina ukunqoba iChampions League neSundowns. Iqembu esasinalo lalingekho ezingeni eliphezulu kangaka kodwa sakwazi ukusebenza kanzima. Nginesiqiniseko sokuthi ukunqoba iChampions League yikona okuseqhulwini kwiSundowns futhi yilokho abadlali okufanele bakulwele.”
UModise wadlala kwiSundowns kusukela ngo-2011 kuya ku-2017 futhi wayeseqenjini elanqoba iChampions League ngo-2016 ngaphansi komqeqeshi, uPitso Mosimane.
Ukholelwa ekutheni ulwazi olutholwe yiqembu elidlala manje kulo mqhudelwano ngesikhathi inqwaba yabadlali balo idlalela iqembu lesizwe, iBafana Bafana, kwi-Africa Cup of Nations lungalisiza ukuthi lidlule kwi-Esperance, lingene kowamanqamu.
“Kuzwakala sengathi ngiphinda into eyodwa kuwona wonke amasizini kodwa ngikholwa wukuthi baya ngokuya besondela ekufezeni leli phupho. Ngicabanga ukuthi isithiyo esikhulu esijwayele yinkinga yisona lesi asebebhekene naso, ukudlula kowandulela owamanqamu,” uqhube kanje lo mdlali owayeyibamba esiswini.
“Uma ngibheka okwenzeke ngesizini edlule, nginesiqiniseko sokuthi kuningi okumele kwenziwe ngendlela ehlukile futhi kuningi abakufundile. Abadlali abawumgogodla weqembu banalo lonke ulwazi. Yibona abadlale indima enkulu eqenjini lesizwe kwi-Afcon, okukhomba ukuthi sebenamava angakanani.
“Ngokubona kwami isigaba esinzima kakhulu kwi-Afcon yisona lesi esandulela owamanqamu. Uma usudlule lapho buyehla ubunzima. Uma bengazifaka kowamanqamu sekungenzeka noma yini.”
ISundowns ishaye iYoung Africans yaseTanzania ngo 3-2 sekukhahlelwa amaphenathi kuma-quarter-final kulandela imilenze emibili ephele zibambene ngo 0-0. I-Esperance nayo idlule kwi-ASEC yase-Ivory Coast ngo 4-2 kumaphenathi ngenxa yokuthi akungenanga magoli kuyona yomibili imidlalo.