KUSEMQOKA ukuba kuhlonishwe noma ngabe yisiphi isinqumo esizothathwa ngunozinti weBafana Bafana, uRonwen Williams, uma kuqhamuka abamdoba ngamadlelo aluhlaza emva kobuqhawe bakhe kwi-Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) esiyela ngasekusongweni e-Ivory Coast.
Lawa amazwi enkakha kanozinti weBafana, u-Andre Arendse, eyabe ingunozintini ngo-1996 okuwunyaka leli qembu lesizwe eligcine ngawo ukuphakamisa isicoco se-Afcon eMzansi.
Emqhudelwaneni wango-1996, u-Arendse wabeka irekhodi lokungangenelwa yigoli emidlalweni emine. UWilliams weMamelodi Sundowns nonozinti weNigeria ovimbela iChippa United, uStanley Nwabali, sebevele balificile lelo rekhodi.
Kungenzeka liphuke uma iNigeria isibhekene neBafana emdlalweni owandulela owamanqamu ePeace Stadium of Bouake, kusasa ngo-7 ebusuku.
UWilliams usematheni kulezi zinsuku ngobuqhawe bakhe bokuvimba amaphenathi amane ngesikhathi iBafana ikhipha iCape Verde kuma-quarterfinal ngempelasonto edlule.
U-Arendse owayeqeqesha uWilliams kwiSuperSport, uthe akumethusi ukuthi igama likalo nozinti lisematheni kubathandi bakanobhuthsuzwayo e-Afrika futhi ngeke amangale uma kuqhamuka imvula yamaqembu aphesheya kwezilwandle emfuna emuva kwe-Afcon, ebuza ngaye.
“I-Afcon inomlando wokuba yisigcawu sabadlali base-Afrika sokuziveza emakethe yaphesheya kwezilwandle, ngakho-ke angingabazi ukuthi azoshaya ujenga amaqembu efuna ukukhuluma neSundowns ngoWilliams,” kusho u-Arendse.
“Engikucelayo wukuthi noma sekufike leso sikhathi, siqhubeke nokumthanda sihloniphe isinqumo sakhe ngoba ekugcineni kusengenzeka ukuthi weneme ngakho konke kwiSundowns.
“Lapha eNingizimu Afrika sinomkhuba wokuhlaba izinqumo zabantu esibathandayo, size sigamanxe ekubeni singazazi izimbangela zalezo zinqumo,” kuqhuba u-Arendse.
Lo nozinti ovulekelwe yithuba lokudlalela iFulham ne-Oxford United okungamaqembu ase-England, kulandela ukugqama kwakhe kwi-Afcon ka-1996, umincele ukuthi lephulwe nguWilliams irekhodi lakhe ngoba ukholwa wukuthi kumfanele.
“Anginawo amaningi ngokuthi ngifisa kangakanani ukuthi kube wuyena ophula leli rekhodi kodwa ngiswele amaphiko ngenxa yenjabulo yokubona izithelo zokusuka phansi ezinkulisa, uze uyofika esicongweni sikanobhutshuzwayo wase-Afrika.
“UWilliams uvuthiwe njengomdlali, umholi weqembu lesizwe nangokuba wubaba wekhaya elintofontofo. Ngalokho kukodwa kumfanele ukuphula irekhodi lami.
“Amarekhodi abekelwe ukuthi aphuke kodwa okusemqoka wukuqhakambisa ukuthi impumelelo kaWilliams isuka eminyakeni eminingi edlule, efika kwiSuperSport United esafunda isikole.
“Esikhundleni sokuthuswa akwenzile kufanele thina abaqeqeshi nabalandeli simbeke endaweni emfanele ngoba lokhu abekwenza bekungagcini ngokugqamisa yena kepha kukhombisa ubukhulu begalelo lakhe empumelelweni yeqembu lesizwe.
“Wonke umdlali okhona esikwatini seBafana unendima ayikhathulile njengoWilliams, ngakho-ke angiyiboni into engabavimba ukuthi babuyise udumo lweBafana ngoba sesiside isikhathi,” kuphetha u-Arendse.