KUHLOMULE iKaizer Chiefs ngombandela onzima wenkontileka yeqembu laseRussia, iFakel Voronezh, ebelidlalelwa nguThabo Cele osayine kuMakhosi emuva kwesikhathi eside emzingela.
UCele (28) waKwaMashu, usayine inkontileka yeminyaka emithathu nohhafu enombandela wokuyivuselela. Umenyezelwe njengomdlali omusha waMakhosi izolo, kanye nomgadli uTashreeq Morris (30) osuka kwiSuperSport United nomdlali waseDemocratic Republic of Congo (DRC), uGlody Lilepo (27) obekwiValenciennes yaseFrance. UMorris noLilepo bagixabezwe ngenkontileka yeminyaka emibili nohhafu emunye. IChiefs iqinisekise ukuthi uMorris uphambane noChristian Saile osezoyibamba kuMatsatsantsa.
UCele odlale emaqenjini esizwe abasakhula nakwiBafana Bafana, udlale imiqhudelwano eyahlukene yamazwe okukhona kuyona ama-Olympics. Usayine kuMakhosi nje, sekuneminyaka kuvela ukuthi leli qembu liyamfuna kodwa lehluleka ukumxebula enkontilekeni yamaqembu ahlukene abewadlalela phesheya kwezilwandle okukhona kuwona iRadomiak yasePoland.
Ngesonto eledlule, iVoronezh imdedelile emuva kokubika ukuthi uyagulelwa ekhaya eMzansi. Kodwa imbekele umbadela wokuthi akavumelekile ukusayina eqenjini okungelona elaseMzansi kuze kuba kuphela inkontileka yakhe ngoJuni. Lo mbandela kungenzeka ukuthi yiwona ohlomulise iChiefs kwazise uCele bekufanele akhethe iqembu eMzansi kuphela noma ngabe akhona amaqembu aphesheya amfunayo.
UKaizer Motaung Jr, oyiSporting Director kwiChiefs, uzwakalise ukujabula ngokuthi bagcine bemtholile uCele.
“Sekunesikhathi sizama ukumletha lapha uCele. Siyajabula sobabili ukuthi ekugcineni uselapha. Siyalazi izinga lakhe futhi sikubheke ngabomvu ukufaka isandla kwakhe eqenjini njengoba siqhubeka nokwakha,”kusho yena.
Esiswini seChiefs, uCele uzobanga indawo noYusuf Maart, Samkelo Zwane noGeorge Matlou osanda kubuya ekulimaleni.
IChiefs isayine uCele nje, akusensuku zatshwala ibhekane nezimbangi, i-Orlando Pirates, emdlalweni weBetway Premiership ozoba ngoMgqibelo ngo-3.30 ntambama, eFNB Stadium, eNasrec. Akubuzwa ukuthi ukufika kwakhe kuzonika umqeqeshi, uNasreddine Nabi, inkululeko yokukhetha abadlali abazokwazi ukubhekana noMakhehleni Makhaula noThalente Mbatha waKwaMashu, oseyenze eyakhe indawo enkabeni yenkundla kweZimnyama. UMakhaula noMbatha sebethwese ubunzima amaqembu amaningi kwiPremiership nakwiCaf Champions League ngobuhlakani nokudlala ngokubambisana.
UMorris, okuthiwa ubefunwa nguNabi, kulindeleke ukuthi ethule umthwalo uRanga Chivaviro ohlala egxekwa ngabalandeli ngenxa yokuhlulwa ngamagoli. Nakuba engabalwa nabagadli abashaya amagoli amaningi kodwa kungenzeka ayixazulule inkinga ebhekene noNabi. ULilepo, oyibamba ohlangothini lwesokudla, uzobanga ijezi noMfundo Vilakazi no-Ashley Du Preez obuye adlale njengomgadli.
Iwindi lokusayinisa abadlali lePremier Soccer League lizovala namuhla ngo-12 ebusuku.