NGESIKHATHI kucaca ukuthi i-Argentina isingompetha abasha beNdebe yoMhlaba, amakhamera ethelevishini aveze umqeqeshi waleli qembu, uLionel Scaloni, esikhihla isililo ngesikhathi yena nebhentshi lakhe nabadlali begajwe yinjabulo.
UScaloni (44) ekhuluma nabezindaba, ukuvezile ukuthi naye bekuyiphupho lakhe lakudala ukuphakamisa lesi sicoco.
I-Argentina ikwenze lokhu ngokushaya iFrance ngo-4-2 kowamanqamu alo mqhudelwano osongwe eQatar, ngeSonto ebusuku. Umdlalo obuseLusail Stadium, uphele zibambene ngo-3-3 esikhathini esengeziwe, kwagcina kucacise amaphenathi ukuthi ngobani ompetha.
I-La Albiceleste ayiwuqalanga kahle umqhudelwano iqunjwa phansi yiSaudi Arabia ngo-2-1 kowamaqoqo kodwa lowo mphumela wayiphaphamisa njengoba yaqala ukunqoba imidlalo ngemuva kwalokho.
“Akukaziki kahle ukuthi singompetha bomhlaba kodwa lesi yisikhathi sokujabula, ikakhulukazi kubadlali nabantu base-Argentina,” uScaloni ucashunwe yiBeSoccer ekhuluma esithangamini nabezindaba.
“Njengomqeqeshi, ngikujwayele ukubhekana nezimo ezimbi nezinhle kodwa nami ngijabulile. Ngifikelwe wumunyu ngoba ngiyazi ukuthi kusho ukuthini kubantu base-Argentina.
"Sinazo izinkinga ekhaya kodwa ibhola liyabajabulisa abantu futhi ngizizwa ngikhethekile ngokuba yingxenye yeqembu elibajabulisile. Kuyiphupho lawo wonke umuntu wase-Argentina ukunqoba iNdebe yoMhlaba futhi nakimi bekunjalo."
UScaloni wanikwa izintambo njengebamba ngo-2018, evala isikhala sika-Jorge Sampaoli, ngemuva kweNdebe yoMhlaba eyayibanjelwe eRussia.
Ngemuva kwezinyangana, wagcina esenikiwe isikhundla ngokuphelele, esizwa ngowayeyisilomo somdlali sase-Argentina, uPablo Aimar.
Ngokwemibiko eyayiqhamuka e-Argentina, lo mqeqeshi wakhethwa ngenxa kokuthi inhlangano eyengamele ibhola kuleliya lizwe, i-Argentina Football Association, yahluleka ukuthola owayecija iTottenham Hotspur, uMauricio Pochettino, okuthiwa wayefuna imali eshisiwe.
Esengumdlali, uScaloni waqala ngokudlalela amaqembu ase-Argentina i-Newell's Old Boys ne-Estudiantes.
Wadlulela e-Europe lapho agijima kwiDeportivo La Coruna, Racing Santander neMallorca eSpain, West Ham United e-England, Lazio ne-Atalanta e-Italy.
Wadlala okokuqala eqenjini lesizwe ngo-2003 waphinde wafakwa kweladlala eNdebeni yoMhlaba ngo-2006, nakuba adlala umdlalo owodwa kulo mqhudelwano.
Ngemva kokuwagaxa emgibeni ngo-2015, waba yiphini likaSampaoli ngesikhathi eqashwa yiqembu laseSpain, iSevilla.
Uqhubekile nokusebenza ngaphansi kwalo mqeqeshi ngesikhathi ethatha izintambo eqenjini lesizwe lase-Argentina ngo-2017, wagcina esevale isikhala sakhe ngo-2018.
UScaloni wayekhona enkundleni ngesikhathi uMessi edlala umdlalo wakhe wokuqala eqenjini lesizwe libhekene neHungary ngo-2005, futhi ube nesandla ekumnxenxeni ukuthi aqhubeke nokulidlalela ngesikhathi ecabanga ukulishiya ngo-2018.
Yize uMessi ethe akaziboni ephinde edlala eNdebeni yoMhlaba ngemuva kwale yaseQatar, uScaloni uthe: “Ngicabanga ukuthi kufanele siligcine ijezi elingunombolo 10, lilungiselelwe iNdebe yoMhlaba elandelayo uma uMessi ethanda ukudlala. Unelungelo lokwenza noma yini ayifunayo ngenxa yemisebenzi yakhe. Akudlulisela kozakwabo kuyamangalisa. Angikaze ngimbone umuntu owenza umehluko omngaka eqenjini."
UScaloni ube ngomunye wabaqeqeshi abancane ukunqoba iNdebe yoMhlaba. Lokhu kwagcina ngoCesar Luis Menotti (39) owayinqoba ne-Argentina ngo-1978.
U-Alberto Suppici wase-Uruguay uphethe irekhodi lokuba ngumqeqeshi omncane kunabo bonke abake baphakamisa lesi sicoco njengoba wayeneminyaka engu-31 ubudala beyinqoba ngo-1930.
UMario Zagallo waseBrazil wayeneminyaka engu-38, iSelecao iyithatha ngo-1970.
Umqeqeshi omdala kuna bonke asebeke banqoba le ndebe nguVicente del Bosque, owayeneminyaka engu-59 ngesikhathi iSpain iyinqoba ngo-2010.