UMQEQESHI weRoyal AM, uJohn Maduka, uthi yize bekuyisifiso sakhe ukubona ezakhe zedlulela emzuliswaneni weLast 16 weNedbank Cup kodwa ukuphuma ngokushesha kulo mqhudelwano ukuthatha njengethuba elikahle lokugxila ngokuphelele emidlalweni yeDStv Premiership.
IRoyal AM ekhishwe ngaMaZulu FC ngo 1-0 koweLast 32 weNedbank Cup ngeledlule, iphakathi kwamaqembu angakaphephi ezembeni njengoba isendaweni ka-14 kwi-log yePremiership.
Izobhekana neRichards Bay FC esesimeni esifanayo kwi-log, koweDStv Premiership ngoMgqibelo ngo-8 ebusuku, eKing Zwelithini Stadium, eMlaza.
“Akukhona ukuthi sijabule ngokuphuma kwiNedbank kodwa ngokwesimo esikusona njengamanje kwi-log njengoba sisendaweni ka-14. Lokhu kusinika ithuba lokuthi sigxile ngokuphelele emidlalweni yethu yePremiership ukuze sikwazi ukusuka kule ndawo esikuyona,” kusho uMaduka.
“Uma ubheka imidlalo esisazoyidlala, ayilula neze uma ubheka amaqembu anjengoRichards Bay nawo alwela ukusuka ezembeni. Sidinga ukulungisa amaphutha, nokuba bukhali phambi kwamapali njengoba emidlalweni emibili esigcine ukuyidlala (neKaizer Chiefs naMaZulu) asikwazanga ukuthola igoli.”
Lo mqeqeshi usabhekene nenkinga yokungakwazi ukusayinisa abadlali ngenxa yesigwebo seFifa esatholwa yiRoyal AM kulandela ukumangalelwa ngoweyewumgadli walo, uSamir Nurkovic, owanqanyulelwa inkontileka yakhe naleli ngaphandle kwesinxephezelo.
Nokho, abanye babadlali abasebancane baleli qembu abanikwe ithuba kule sizini besuka kwelincane elidlala kwiDStv Diski Challenge, balibambe ngazo zombili ithuba eqenjini elikhulu.
Phakathi kwabo kubalwa umdlali wasesiswini ohlaselayo uSiphiwe Cele, u-Ayanda Jiyane ongumdlali wasemuva, noSabelo Sithole naye oyisitobha.
Ngaphandle kowomkhaya neRichards Bay, iThwihli Thwahla iseneminye emqoka yePremiership ngoMashi, okungoweSekhukhune United (ekuhambeni), iCape Town City (ekhaya) neStellenbosch FC (ekuhambeni).