Kuqhilika izihlathi kumqeqeshi weBafana Bafana, uHugo Broos, ngokululama kwezithenjwa zakhe ngaphambi kokuqala koshikishi lwe-Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) neMali kusasa ngo-10 ebusuku, e-Amadou Gon Coulibaly Stadium, eKorhogo, e-Ivory Coast.
IBafana ebingekho kwi-Afcon edlule (2021), iqala lo mqhudelwano egcine ukuwudla ngo-1996, ngomdlalo omqoka neMali ku-Group E, okuboshelwe kuwona ompetha bango-2004, iTunisa nomakhelwane belakuleli iNamibia.
UBroos ufulathele leli kungacaci ngokuthi uMothobi Mvala, uzodlala indima engakanani kulo mqhudelwano njengoba bekuvele ukuthi ulimele inyonga.
Eqinisweni abalandeli beBafana abaningi bese beliphonsile ithawula ngoMvala kulo mqhudelwano ngenxa yezinkulumo zakhe uBroos.
Lo mqeqeshi waseBelgium, ubebalisa ngokulimala enyongeni kukaMvala waze wafanekisa ngokuya empini ngaphandle kwesosha alethembe ngempilo yakhe.
Ngosuku iBafana efulathele ngalo leli, uMvala uphasiswe odokotela ukuba abe ingxenye yeqembu njengoba sekuvela ukuthi ubeziqeqesha ngokugcwele ngempelasonto.
Ngaphandle kukaMvala, ukaputeni uRonwen Williams noThemba Zwane, abazange basetshenziswe kowokungcweka neLesotho ngoLwesithathu olwedlule.
Lisezingeni eliphezulu izinga lokuzethemba ekhempini yeBafana ngaphambi kokuqala lo mqhudelwano neMali kusasa ebusuku, kwazise uBroos angakhetha koMvala, Williams noZwane uma esebophela isikimu sakhe.
“Ngaphandle kokubonga ngesakhiwo esiseqophelweni lomhlaba esinikwe sona ukuba sisisebenzise emidlalweni yamaqoqo, okunye okuhle ukuthi uMvala (Mothobi), Williams (Ronwen) noZwane (Themba), bobathathu baziqeqeshe nenqembu ngenhloso yokulungela umdlalo olandelayo,” kusho isitatimende esikhishwe ithimba leSouth African Football Association (Safa) elise-Ivory Coast.
“Umqeqeshi weneme ngokuzilolonga ngokugcwele kwalaba badlali abathathu kwazise bamqoka ngendlela engachazeki kuyena.
“Asinalo ithuba lokucasha ngesithupha ngoba isakhiwo esinikwe sona sinakho konke okudingwa iqembu elizoqala i-Afcon emahoreni ambalwa ezayo,” kuqhuba lesi sitatimende.
Ukubambana kweBafana ngo 0-0 neLesotho kowobungani ngaphambi kokuya e-Ivory Coast kuzitolikwa ngokuthi, iBafana iya kwiMali ingayazi iwini emidlalweni emibili edlule kwazise ikhale ngaphansi ngo 2-0 kwiRwanda kowokuhlungela iNdebe yoMhlaba ka-2026 odlalwe ngasekupheleni konyaka odlule.
Imidlalo ye-Afcon namuhla:
Ngo-4pm: Senegal v Gambia
Ngo-7pm: Cameroon v Guinea
Ngo-10pm: Algeria v Angola