USELINDE izinkunzi zaseSoweto ngekusasa lakhe unozinti weBafana Bafana, uJethren Barr, oshaye into ecokeme emqhudelwaneni iCosafa Cup.
UBarr (27) uhlukane neqembu laseNorthen Ireland, iPortadown FC emuva kokuthi ligawulwe yizembe. Uqoke ukuzozama iqembu kwiPremier Soccer League (PSL) ukuze abe semehlweni omqeqeshi weBafana, uHugo Broos, ngethemba lokungena esikwatini esizodlala kwi-Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) ngonyaka ozayo.
KwiCosafa esongwe ngempelasonto edlule eThekwini, uBarr udlale imidlalo emithathu. Usaphethe irekhodi lePSL likanozinti omncane kunabo bonke ovimbe kule ligi. UBarr wadlala kwiBidvest Wits eneminyaka engu-17.
Leli phephandaba lihoshe ukuthi iKaizer Chiefs neMoroka Swallows bayamfuna uBarr ovimbele neMaritzburg United.
"IChiefs iqale ukukhombisa intshisekelo ngoBarr njengoba ekade ekwiCosafa Cup eThekwini. Kodwa akukho esakubeke etafuleni. ISwallows imthintile nayo ngaphambi komdlalo weBafana Bafana neZambia. Okwamanje ulinde ukuthi kuqhubeke izingxoxo, athathe isinqumo ngeqembu azolijoyina kwiPremiership," kusho umthombo.
Emuva kokudlala kahle kwiCosafa esiza iBafana ifinyelela kowandulela owamanqamu, uBarr unconywe kakhulu ezinkundleni zokuxhumana. Kuneqeqebana labalandeli ebelithi limfuna eNaturena.
Uma uBarr egcina esayine kwiChiefs, uzobanga ijezi no-Itumeleng Khune, Brandon Peterson noBruce Bvuma. KwiSwallows uzolibanga noDaniel Akpeyi, Sanele Tshabalala noThakasani Mbanjwa.
UBarr wenqabile ukudalula amaqembu axoxa nawo.
"Mathathu amaqembu angithintile kodwa angikwazi ukudalula amagama. Ngiyajabula ngokuthi ngithole ithuba kwiCosafa Cup. Abantu babonile ukuthi yini engingayenza enkundleni. Kuyisifiso sami ukudlala eNingizimu Afrika," kusho uBarr.
Uthe uma kuhamba isikhathi lingekho iqembu avumelana nalo uzobuyela eNorthen Ireland ayozama khona.
"Akhona amaqembu amakhulu eNorthern Ireland engizoyozama inhlanhla kuwona uma kuphela inyanga. Sengivele ngilithengile ithikithi lebhanoyi lango-Agasti 1. Konke sekusezandleni zawo amaqembu engixoxa nawo," kusho uBarr.
Okhulumela iChiefs, uVina Maphosa, uthe akatshelwa ngabadlali abafunekayo kodwa waziswa ngokufanele abamemezele.