NGEKE sivalwe ngamuntu isikhala somdlali weBafana Bafana, uThapelo Maseko, odonseke umsipha emdlalweni we-quarterfinal ye-Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) neCape Verde ngenxa yokulimala okuqinisekiswe umqeqeshi waleli qembu, uHugo Broos.
UMaseko onegoli kulo mqhudelwano ungene esiwombeni sesibili koweCape Verde kodwa wangawuqeda kwazise uphume enkundleni esesizwa ukuze kuhambeke kulandela ukudonseka komsipha umdlalo usuyela ngasemaphethelweni.
Izolo ntambama, lo mdlali osemncane weMamelodi Sundowns uchazwe nguBroos njengosefana nomlandeli weBafana kwazise ngeke esaqhubeka nokudlala ngoba uthinteke kabana kunalokhu abebekucabanga.
UBroos ubenesithangami nabezindaba izolo ntambama ngomdlalo weBafana omqoka wowandulela owamanqamu we-Afcon neNigeria namuhla ngo-7 ebusuku eBouake, e-Ivory Coast.
Nakuba bekubhekwe ukuthi ukulimala kukaMaseko kungase kuvulele ithuba u-Iqraam Rayners weStellenbosch, ongomunye wabadlali iBafana ecuphe ngabo uma kukhona olimalayo kodwa uBroos usheshe wakuchitha lokhu.
“UMaseko uthinteke kabi futhi kungaphezulu kwalokhu ebesikucabanga ngakho-ke usezofana nomlandeli ngoba ngeke simbuyisele eNingizimu Afrika,” kusho uBroos.
“Ngisho ngabe besithanda ukusivala isikhala sikaMaseko ngoba uphawini besinawo kodwa siqome ukungakwenzi lokho kwazise sithole ukuthi ingase ilunge ngoLwesine noma ngoLwesihlanu i-Visa yomdlali ebesingathanda ukumlanda ozovala isikhala sakhe,” kuqhuba lo mqeqeshi sakuqinisekisa ukuthi ukhona abebezama ukumlanda kwaphika amaphepha.
Mayelana nomdlalo uBroos uthe: “Isimo esibhekene naso kwiNigeria ngeke sisishintshe ngoba iyiqembu elingcono kunathi okufakazelwa amagama amaqembu adlalelwa ngabadlali bayo.
“Kuyasikhuthaza lokhu ngoba isimo esifanayo nalesi ebesibhekene naso emasontweni adlule simelwe wukudlula kwiMorocco. Siyakuthokozela ukuba semdlalweni owandulela owamanqamu ngoba akekho vele obesinike ithuba ngaphambi komqhudelwano. Ukubalwa kweBafana namazwe amane asele embangweni wesicoco se-Afcon kuzitolika ngokuthi liyakhula ibhola laseNingizimu Afrika.
“Isiminingi iminyaka iBafana igcine ukufika ezingeni esikulona (manje) kodwa isiminingi kakhulu leli qembu lesizwe ligcine ukuba ngompetha base-Afrika,” kuphetha lo mqeqeshi odle lesi sicoco ngo-2017 ngeCameroon ebingenabo abadlali abaziwayo njengeBafana.
IBafana ilinyalelwe uMaseko nje, neNigeria iveze ukuthi akekho qatha ngokugcwele, uVictor Osimhen, ongesinye sezithenjwa zayo. Ukaputeni weBafana obekulesi sithangami, uRonwen Williams, uthe abazixaki ngakho konke okwenzeke emidlalweni edlule uma bebhekene neNigeria kepha babheke ukuqopha umlando omusha. UWilliams, osephenduke iqhawe leNingizimu Afrika, wayekhona ngesikhathi iBafana yehlulwa yiNigeria kwi-Afcon ka-2019 e-Egypt.