LOWO obengumdlali weKaizer Chiefs, uNjabulo Blom, uthemba ukuthi ukugula kwakhe kwakamuva ngeke kumnciphisele amathuba okumela iNingizimu Afrika eqenjini lesizwe, iBafana Bafana.
UBlom, osedlalela iSt Louis City kwiMajor League Soccer (MLS), e-United States of America, ubiziwe eqenjini elidlala neLiberia kowokuhlungela i-Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) kodwa wagcina engafikanga, kubikwa ukuthi uyagula.
Lo mdlali, oneminyaka ewu-23, udlale imizuzu ewu-13 ngeSonto ngesikhathi ezakhe zehlula iReal Salt Lake ebesezinqoba umdlalo wesihlanu weMLS.
UBlom, obekhuluma nephephandaba iSt. Louis Dispatch, uveze ukuphoxeka kwakhe ngokungezi kwiBafana kodwa wakuveza ukuthi ubone kuyisinqumo esiphusile ukuthi angezi eqenjini lesizwe njengoba ebekade egula okuvele ukuthi ubephethwe yiCovid-19. Uthe unethemba lokuthi abaqeqeshi beBafana bazombheka nangomuso.
“Kudingeke ukuthi ngihlale phansi ngicabange ukuthi ngabe besikhona yini isidingo sokuthi ngiye eqenjini lesizwe,” kusho uBlom osayine kwiSt Louis ngoJanuwari.
“Ngaleso sikhathi bengizizwa ngigula futhi kade ngingaziqeqeshi (neqembu). Ngibone kukuhle kimina naseqenjini lesizwe ukuthi ngiqale ngilulame ngokugcwele bese ngiziqeqesha ngokuphelele. Ngithemba ukuthi bazongibiza ngokuzayo.”
Ngesikhathi kuvela izindaba zokuthi uBlom kungenzeka angezi, umqeqeshi weBafana Bafana, uHugo Broos, akazange akwamukele kahle lokho. Wakhala ngokuthi iqembu lalo mdlali alizange lixhumane kahle ngokugula kwakhe. Wasabisa ngokuthi uma kuwukuthi kukhona elingakulandelanga kahle, uzimisele ngokulidlulisela kwiFifa (inhlangano eyengamele ibhola emhlabeni) udaba. IFifa iyawaphoqa amaqembu ukuthi adedele abadlali uma kuyisikhathi sekhefu lemidlalo yamaqembu amazwe. Ngaleso sikhathi uBlom wayeseqiwe imidlalo emibili yezakhe ngenxa yakho ukugula.
UBlom uqhube wathi: “INingizimu Afrika yizwe lami. Ngiyalithanda izwe lami. Kuyiphupho lawo wonke umfana osemncane noma odlala esigabeni esikhokhelayo ukuthi amele izwe lakhe. Ngami ngiphoxekile ngokuthi angizange ngikwazi ukuhamba kodwa sekwenzekile.”
Ngaphambi kokugula uBlom ubeseyiqale yonke imidlalo yezakhe kuleli qembu eliqeqesha omunye wakuleli, uBradley Carnell.
ISt Louis izihola phambili kwiMLS Western Conference ngamaphuzu awu-15 emidlalweni emihlanu. Iqembu eliza ngemuva kwayo lisele ngamaphuzu amahlanu.
Namuhla iBafana izodlala neLiberia emlenzeni wesibili wokuhlungela i-Afcon eSamuel Kanyon Doe Stadium, eMonrovia ngo-6 ntambama. Umlenze wokuqala obukuleli ngesonto eledlule uphele ngo 2-2.