UTHOLE elinye ithuba lokuyodlala esigabeni esiphezulu sasePortugal umdlali weBafana Bafana, uThibang Phete. Ujoyine iGD Chaves ngemuva kokuchitha isizini eyodwa edlala, e-United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Lo mdlali udlala nasesiswini maphakathi nenkundla. UThibang uteketiswa ngegama likaCafu, oyinkakha yaseBrazil, eyayiyibamba ngakwesokudla emuva futhi idume nangokuya phambili ngesivinini
UThibang (29) wazalelwa eKimberley, waqala ukubonakala ebholeni elikhokhelayo kwiMilano United, eyayidlala kwiNational First Division ngo-2013. Ngonyaka olandelayo walifulathela leli wayogjima kwiTourizense, esigabeni sesibili sasePortugal.
Ngo-2015 wasayiniswa yiVitória Guimarães, eyayidlala esigabeni esiphezulu kuleliya lizwe. Useke wadlalela amanye amaqembu akhona, okuyiFamalicão, neBelenenses, ngaphambi kokujoyina i-Al Bataeh yase-UAE, ngoJulayi nyakenye.
Ukudlala kwakhe ePortugal, kuphazanyiswe ukulimala kanti kwenzeka okufanayo nase-UAE, lapho edlale imidlalo engu-12 kuphela, ngesizini edlule.
Yize kunjalo, iChaves, okuyiqembu obekubolekiswe kulona umgadli weBafana Bafana, uLuther Singh, ngesizini edlule, linqume ukumnika elinye ithuba, yize lisamnike inkontileka yonyaka owodwa okwamanje.
Leli qembu elizinze edolobheni iChaves, enyakatho nePortugal, budebuduze nomngcele waleli zwe neSpain, lilale isikhombisa esigabeni esiphezulu iPrimeira Liga, ngesizini edlule.
Kule sizini libe nomdlalo owodwa weligi lapho lithelwe phansi yiRio Ave ngo 2-0 ekuhambeni. Umdlalo olandelayo lizowudlala neSC Braga ekhaya ngoMgqibelo ebusuku.
“Ngijabule kakhulu ngokubuyela kwiligi yasePortugal, ikakhulu eqenjini elifana neChaves. Sengike ngabhekana neChaves phambilini futhi ngikubonile ukuthobeka nokuzinikela kwabalandeli beqembu,” kusho uThibang, kwi-vidiyo ephanyekwe yiqembu emakhasini alo ezinkundleni zokuxhumana.
“Ngicabanga ukuthi yisikhathi esihle sokuthi ngimele leli qembu. Ngingumdlali ozinikelayo, othanda ukusiza iqembu. Ngizinikela ngakho konke uma ngisenkundleni futhi lokho kubaluleke kakhulu kimina.”
UThibang udlale okokuqala kwiBafana Bafana ngo-Okthoba ka-2020, ngesikhathi sikamqeqeshi uMolefi Ntseki. Ugcine ukudlala ngaphansi komqeqeshi wamanje, uHugo Broos bebhekene neMorocco ngoJuni nyakenye.
Wayefakiwe esikwatini esasizodlala eyobungani neMozambique, ne-Angola ngoNovemba nyakenye kodwa wahoxa ngenxa yokulimala.