UMLANDO uyaphika. IBafana Bafana ishaye iNigeria emdlalweni omqoka kangaka? Phinde!
Kodwa phezu kwaleli rekhodi, kunomuzwa wokuthi ngokuhamba ibanga asebelihambile e-Ivory Coast, iNingizimu Afrika izinike ithuba lokukhokha isikweletu seminyaka sokuba “yithofi” lama-Super Eagles. La mazwe azonqwamana namuhla kusihlwa emdlalweni owandulela owamanqamu we-Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon), eBouake.
Uma isebenza inkolelo yokuthi ibhola likanobutshuzwayo wumdlalo wamathuba, ngeke wayisola iBafana ngokuqombola lo mqansa wanamuhla inethemba lokuthi izofika esicongweni futhi - njengoba kwenzeka ngo-1996.
Akukhona okokuqala ukuthi iBafana ibhekane nama-Super Eagles kulesi sigaba se-Afcon njengoba kwenzeka ngo-2000, emqhudelwaneni owawubanjelwe eNigeria.
Kulowo nyaka, iNigeria yagoba elakuleli ngo 2-0 ovuthayo enkundleni eyabe igcwele kuvalwe ngomuntu ekomkhulu lakuleliya zwe iLagos.
Namanje abaxhumene neNigeria abaliyeki ithuba lokukhumbuza abakuleli ukuthi imbangela yokuthi iBafana idle isicoco ngo-1996, yingoba iNigeria yayingeyona ingxenye ye-Afcon eyayidlalelwa eNingizimu Afrika.
Nanamhlanje iNigeria izongena emdlalweni kuyiyo ethwelwe ngeqoma ngenxa yemiphumela edlule (uma la maqembu ebhekene), izama isicoco sayo sesine kanti iBafana ifuna ukufaka esesibili ekhabetheni.
Ngaphandle komphumela wango-2000, iNigeria iyona futhi eyakhipha iBafana emqhudelwaneni owawuse-Egypt ngo-2019 iyishaya ngo 2-1 kwi-quarterfinal.
IBafana neNigeria sebehlangane amahlandla angu-14 emlandweni, amaSuper Eagles awine imidlalo eyisikhombisa. Badlale ngokulingana kwemihlanu, kwathi kwemibili kwanqoba iBafana.
Lisemahlombe omqeqeshi uHugo Broos nephini lakhe uHelman Mkhalele ijoka lokuqeda lokhu kucanasa kweNigeria.
UMkhalele wayedlala eqenjini leBafana eladla ubhedu ngo-1996 kanti uBroos uyiwine eqeqesha iCameroon ngo-2017 eGabon.
Eqhulwini kokufakela uBroos ugazi wukuthi ungumqeqeshi wokuqala kwabangaphandle asebeke basebenza kwiBafana oyifake kowandulela owamanqamu we-Afcon.
Nakuba uCarlos Queiroz wasePortugal ayifaka eNdebeni yoMhlaba ngo-2002 iBafana, kodwa akazange ahlale esihlalweni eKorea/Japan ngemuva kokuphelela kwi-quarter final ye-Afcon. Iqembu lahamba noJomo Sono.
Omunye umqeqeshi wangaphandle ozame inhlanhla neBafana, uStuart Baxter wase-England owaphuma kwi-quarterfinal ngo-2019.
UTed Dumitru waseRomania ongasekho, wahluleka ukufaka iBafana kuleli zinga uBroos asevele uyibeke kulona.
Phakathi kukaCarlos Alberto Parreira noJoel Natalino Santana baseBrazil, abashintshane ngesikhundla kwiBafana kusukela ngo-2007 kuya ku-2010, akekho kubona oke wenza into ebonakalayo kulo mqhudelwano oyigugu kubantu bakuleli zwekazi.