UKULIMALA kwesinye sezitobha abesibizelwe kwiBafana Bafana kuphoqe umqeqeshi waleli qembu, uHugo Broos, ukuthi ajike umqondo ngoSiyanda Xulu, abemshiye ngaphandle ngoba ekhala ngokuthi usehlale izinyanga ezinhlanu engadlali.
UBroos ubenesithangami nabezindaba ngoMsombuluko ntambama, eDobsonville Stadium, eSoweto, lapho kubonakale khona uXulu osanda kusayina eqenjini lase-Azerbaijan.
IBafana iqale amalungiselelo emidlalo yayo emibili yobungani neSierra Leone neBotswana ngoMgqibelo nangoLwesibili oluzayo ngokwahlukana e-FNB Stadium, eGoli. Yomibili izoqala ngo-3 ntambama.
Ukuthinteka kukaThibang Phete ozinze e-United Arab Emirates (UAE), kuphoqe uBroos ukuthi akhethe phakathi kokulanda umdlali omusha kwelesizwe noma ashintshe kwabekutshele abezindaba ngeledlule ngokusala ngaphandle kukaXulu.
Lo mqeqeshi waseBelgium, ubengazange agcine ngokukhala ngesikhathi esihlalwe uXulu, ethungatha iqembu kodwa ukhombe neligi yase-Azerbaijan njengengamhehi ukuthi aqhubeke nokunaka lesi sitobha.
“Ukulimala kukaPhete kungiphoqe ukuthi nginqume phakathi kokulanda umdlali omusha ekhempini noma ngibuyise uXulu,” usho kanje uBroos, lo mdlali waKwaMashu ehleli eduze kwakhe.
“Ngiyazi ukuthi ngitheni ngeledlule mayelana nokuhlala kukaXulu izinyanga ezinhlanu ethungatha iqembu kodwa imidlalo emibili yokugcina (uXulu), ayidlalele iqembu lakhe elisha uyiqale wayiqeda ngaphandle kwenkinga.
“Yize engekho fithi ngokugcwele kodwa ngikhethe ukubuyisa yena ngoba ngiyazi ukuthi ungumholi omqoka kuleli qoqo labadlali ngakho-ke angingabazi ukuthi uzosinika konke anakho uma edingeka yize engekho qatha enjalo,” kulandisa yena.
UBroos akangabazi futhi ukuthi uthathe isinqumo esiqondile ngokujika umqondo ngoXulu.
“Ngingakusho kugcwale umlomo ukuthi ngiyamazi futhi nendlela acabanga ngayo ngaleli qembu lesizwe ngiyayazi, ingakho ngikhethe ukulanda yena,” kusho lo mqeqeshi.
Ezikhulumela yena uXulu uthe, ujabule ngokubuyela eqenjini lesizwe kodwa okumqoka ukuzobamba ngesandla abadlali abasha kwelesizwe.
"Simelwe ukubamba konke okushiwo umqeqeshi ngoba iso lihleli emidlalweni emibili emqoka ngoMashi ngonyaka ozayo. Iqembu linabadlali abasha ngakho-ke thina esesinesikhathi singaphakathi, kungumsebenzi wethu ukubamba ngesandla abadlali abasha sibakhombise indlela," usho kanje uXulu kulesi sithangami nabezindaba.