INGWAZI yeBafana Bafana esendaweni yesibili emlandweni wokuhlohlwa kwamagoli kuleli qembu lesizwe, uShaun Bartlett, iluleke iSouth African Football (Safa) ngokufanele ikwenze ukunciphisa igebe eselizonakeka kakhulu ngenxa yezimanga ezigilwe iMorocco koweNdebe yoMhlaba eQatar.
NgokukaBartlett, iSafa nabo bonke abathandi bebhola eNingizimu Afrika abakhuthazwe yiMorocco iba izwe lokuqala e-Afrika ukufika kweyandulela eyamanqamu yeNdebe yoMhlaba, abaqale bahalele ukudla isicoco se-Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) ngaphambi kokufisa okukhulu.
UBartlett owashayela iBafana amagoli kwi-Afcon ka-1996 eNingizimu Afrika nakoweNdebe yoMhlaba ka-1998, eFrance, uyavuma ukuthi wonke umuntu kumele akhuthazeke ngokwenziwe yiMorocco kodwa kuningi iSafa okusafanele izixake ngakho ngaphambi kokufika ekugileni izimanga eNdebeni yoMhlaba.
Lo mgadli osengumqeqeshi weCape Town Spurs edlala kwiMotsepe Foundation Championship, ukusho lokhu ngesikhathi ebuzwa Isolezwe ukuthi yini engafundwa iSafa kwiMorocco?
“Ngabe ngiqamba amanga uma ngingathi angifisi ukubona iBafana koweNdebe yoMhlaba kodwa iqiniso ukuthi leyo into ekude ukwenzeka ngoba kusafanele iqale ibuyise isithunzi sayo e-Afrika,” kusho uBartlett onamagoli angu-28 kwiBafana okumbeka endaweni yesibili elandela uBenni McCarthy, ukunguyena ophethe irekhodi.
“IBafana kusafanele iqale iwine i-Afcon ngaphambi kokuthi kuconse amathe kithina uma sibuka okwenziwe iMorocco. Lokhu okuzuzwe yiMorocco izithukuthuku nezinhlelo zeminyaka eminingi.
“Mhlawumbe okwamanje singasika leyo phethini (yokuhlela ngendlela eqondile) kwiMorocco, hhayi ukuhalela lokhu ekuzuzile eQatar,” kuqhuba uBartlett owaqhulule nakwi-English Premiership amagoli.
Okunye okukhalisa kakhulu le nkakha, ukugqoza kwabadlali bakuleli abadlalela amaqembu aphesheya kwezilwandle.
“Ukwanda kwesibalo sabadlali abadlalela amaqembu ase-Europe, okunye okufanele sizihluphe ngakho ukuze iBafana ibuyele esicongweni.
“Ngaphandle kokuthi abadlali bethu bajwayele ukuzihlupha ngamadlelo aluhlaza, okwenziwe iMorocco siyogcina ngokukuhalela,” kusho yena sakuxwayisa.
Esesonga uBartlett ululeke iSafa ngokuyikhona okufanele ikwenze ukuze ibhola laseNingizimu Afrika lizobuyelwa udumo lwalo.
“Impumelelo ivamise ukuvela uma kusetshenziswana kusuka phezulu esigqokweni kwehle kuze kufike emazingeni aphansi ebhola. Izifiso zabaphethe ibhola kufanele zifane ncamashi nezalabo abaphethwe.
“Kusemqoka ukuthi iSafa yenze izinhlelo okuzozuza kuzona isizwe sonke ngesikhathi esifanayo zinothise ithalente esinalo ngazo zonke izinsiza ezidingekayo.
“Ngaphandle kwabantu abaqondayo ukuthi yini edingwa umdlali ukuze akhiphe konke anakho, mancane amathuba okukhiqiza abadlali esingamelana ngabo noBrazil no-Argentina njengoba kwakwenzeka kalula eminyakeni edlule,” kuphetha uBartlett.
IBafana yagcina ukunqoba i-Afcon ngo-1996. Yagcina ukungenela iNdebe yoMhlaba ngezithukuthuku zayo ngo-2002. Elakuleli alizange lingene kwi-Afcon ebiseCameroon kulo nyaka. Ngonyaka ozayo, lizolwela ukungena kwi-Afcon ka-2024 ese-Ivory Coast. Emidlalweni yokuhlunga, iBafana ihlulwe iMorocco kowokuqala. Imelwe ukungahlulwa kwemibili ezoyidlala neLiberia ngonyaka ozayo ukuze izibeke ethubeni lokuya e-Ivory Coast.