I-SUPERSPORT United isikulungele ukwehlukana nomdlali wasemuva, u-Ime Okon, okuvela ukuthi uyozama inhlanhla phesheya kwezilwandle.
U-Okon (19), oselenze elakhe ijezi esikimini somqeqeshi uGavin Hunt, ubeyibamba kwiDStv Diski Challenge ngesizini edlule. Ukushaya kwakhe into ecokeme kwiDStv Premiership kudonse amehlo omqeqeshi, uHugo Broos, ombizele kwiBafana Bafana ezinyangeni ezidlule.
Isolezwe lihoshe ukuthi u-Okon, oyibamba maphakathi emuva, uhlolwa yiqembu laseDenmark futhi selibeke nezigidi etafuleni. Ufulathele iNingizimu Afrika ngesonto eledlule.
“U-Ime uhlolwa yiqembu laseDenmark. Uhambe ngesikhathi kuqala ikhefu leFifa. Ngendlela okwenzeka ngayo kubukeka angeke esabuya. Leli qembu selibeke etafuleni imali elinganiselwa kuR18 million futhi kubukeka iSuperSport izoyithatha. Sekusele kuwona womabili amaqembu ukuthi kuvunyelwane,” kusho umthombo.
Uma egcina ehambile u-Okon, uzojoyina abanye abadlali bePremiership abathathwe ngamaqembu aphesheya nonyaka. Kulaba badlali kukhona uNjabulo Blom obedlala kuKaizer Chiefs, Casius Mailula obedlalela iMamelodi Sundowns no-Olwethu Makhanya odayiswe yiStellenbosch kwiPhiladelphia Union kwiMajor League Soccer (MLS), e-USA.
Ngesikhathi u-Okon ebizelwe kwiBafana emasontweni adlule, bekubhekwe ukuthi uzobonakala okokuqala edlubhe ijezi leqembu lesizwe kwazise uBroos uyazifela ngabadlali abasebancane. Nokho ugcine esale ngaphandle sekubizwa isikwati sabangu-23. Ezinyangeni ezedlule, u-Okon ucashunwe ethi akakasithathi isinqumo mayelana neqembu lesizwe azolidlalela kwazise uyise ungowaseNigeria, unina ngowaseMzansi. Ngokomthetho weFifa, uvumelekile ukudlalela iNigeria.
Umqeqeshi weSuperSport kwiDiski Challenge, uThabo September, uthe ukuthi babedlala emuva bonke beyithimba labaqeqeshi kubasizile ekukhuliseni u-Okon afike ezingeni akulona. USeptember, osebenza ngokubambisana noHunt okwelePremiership, ubeqeqesha u-Okon kwiDiski ngesizini edlule.
“Indaba yaphesheya ka-Ime ngeke ngiphawule ngayo. Iqembu yilona okufanele liyikhulume. Engingakusho wukuthi kithina kubelula ukumcija njengoba uma ubheka ethimbeni lethu labaqeqeshi sonke sasidlala emuva. UGavin wayedlala emuva kwesokudla, nami ngangidlala emuva kwesokudla, maphakathi nasesiswini. U-Andre (Arendse noGrant (Johnson) babengonozinti. Ukuba nomdlali ofana no-Ime kulula ngoba silanda enqolobaneni yesipiliyoni sethu,” kusho uSeptember.
Ukuhamba kuka-Okon kwiSuperSport kungaphoqa uHunt ukuthi abuyisele omakadebona, uSiyanda Xulu noThulani Hlatshwayo maphakathi emuva. Amatsatsantsa a Pitori azobuyela enkundleni ngeSonto uma esevakashele iModern Future yase-Egypt emdlalweni wokuqala wesigaba samaqoqo seCaf Confederation Cup. Uma ibuya lapho izobhekana neSundowns koweligi.