UNOZINTI obizwe kwiBafana Bafana okokuqala ngqa, uSage Stephens, ukuchaze njengesibusiso esivela kuMdali ukukhunjulwa kwakhe, uHugo Broos, ekubeni eneminyaka engu-33.
UStephens usekhempini yeBafana ematasa namalungiselelo emidlalo emibili ka-Group K yokuhlungela i-Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) yaseMorocco engonyaka ozayo.
Abafana bakaBroos bazoqala ne-Uganda eqhwakele ngoLwesihlanu ekuhambeni bese bebuya ngowasekhaya ngoNovemba 19 neSouth Sudan eCape Town Stadium.
EzikaBroos zidinga amaphuzu amathathu ukuze zizibekisele indawo kwi-Afcon eziqede kuyona endaweni yesithathu emqhudelwaneni odlule.
UStephens owafika esigabeni esikhulu ngeMoroka Swallows ngesizini ka-2010/2011 ngaphambi kokudlulela kuMaZulu uswele amaphiko okundiza ngokubizwa kuleli qembu lesizwe engasabhekile.
“Ukubizwa kwami kuleli qembu lesizwe kuwuthando loMdali ngakho-ke akukho okutheni engingakusho ngaphandle kokuzwakalisa injabulo ngokuqashelwa umqeqeshi,” kusho uStephens.
“Ngesikhathi ngifika ebholeni elikhokhelayo ngaqala eDobsonville (kwiMoroka Swallows) njengoba nokuziqeqesha kwami okokuqala kwiBafana kwenzeke enkundleni efanayo.
“Ukubizwa kwami kwiBafana kufanele kukhuphule ithemba nakwabanye abadlali ababona sengathi sebeshiywe isikhathi.
“Uma ngilinikiwe ithuba ngizolibamba ngazo zombili ngoba ngiyabuqonda ubumqoka balo. Okufanele sizisize ngakho ukuqinisekisa ukuthi siqeda umsebenzi ekuhambeni kwi-Uganda yize singakungabazi ukuthi kuzobanzima njengoba iqhwakele,” kuqhuba yena.
UBroos uzwakalise injabulo ngokubuya, koSiyabonga Ngezana noMothobi Mvala, ngoba i-Uganda neSouth Sudan ikhonze kakhulu izikhwepha.
“Siyiqembu elinawo amava okunqoba kunzima ngakho-ke nakulokhu kufanele siye ngomqoqndo ofanayo. Ukubuya kwezinsizwa zethu zasemuva kuzoba usizo.
“Siyakwazi okufanele sikwenze kule midlalo kodwa ngiyaphinda ngithi ukubuya kwezitobha zethu ebezingekho kusinika ebesingenakho emidlalweni edlule,” kusho yena.
Okubhekiwe ukuthi kulaba badlali basemuva ababuyile uBroos uzombophela nobani, uRushwin Dortley, oseyidlale yonke eyeBafana yokuhlunga.