OWAYENGUMDLALI we-Orlando Pirates, uLebohang Mokoena, unxusa uMonnapule Saleng ukuthi aqhubeke alwele indawo yakhe kuleli qembu.
USaleng wagcina ukubonakala enkundleni emdlalweni weCaf Champions League ne-Al Ahly ngoDisemba 8, kodwa iqembu alikaze libike ukuthi ulimele.
Kule sizini useshaye amagoli amahlanu emidlalweni engu-13 emiqhudelwaneni eyahlukene. Ushaye amabili kwiBetway Premiership, amabili kwiMTN8 nelilodwa kweyokuhlungela iCaf Champions League.
Muva nje, uRui Frois, ojwayele ukuba ngumxhumanisi ekudayisweni kwabadlali kuleli nakwamanye amazwe, usanda kutshela iKickOff ukuthi kuneqembu elizinze kwiGulf Region elalifuna ukuthenga uSaleng ngemali eshisiwe ekupheleni kwesizini ka-2022/2023 kodwa iPirates yanquma ukumgcina.
Akukacaci noma ukunyamalala kwakhe kwakamuva kuhlobene yini nalokho kodwa uMokoena owadlalela amaqembu amakhulu aseGauteng okuyiPirates, Mamelodi Sundowns neSwallows kusukela ngo-2003 kuya ku-2022, uthe uyabuqonda ubunzima abhekene nabo uSaleng.
“Nami ngangizophazamiseka kancane. Akulula neze. Ngicabanga ukuthi ngesikhathi ebona leso samba semali, ziningi izinto ezafika emqondweni wakhe,” kusho uMokoena ekhuluma ekhasini leSoccerbeat kwiYouTube.
UMokoena, owadlala noSaleng ngesikhathi iPirates imbolekise kwiSwallows, uthe wakha ubudlelwano obuqinile nalo mdlali njengoba babejwayele ukulala egunjini elilodwa uma besekhempini, ambonise ngendlela izinto ezenza ngayo kwiPirates.
Uthe ukhathazekile ngokuthi noma ngabe yini uSaleng abhekene nayo njengamanje ingase iphazamise umsebenzi wakhe uma engabuyeli enkundleni maduze.
“IPirates iyabavumela abadlali ukuthi baye phesheya. Ungabala abadlali abafana no(Lyle) Foster, (Andile) Jali, (Benedict) Vilakazi, Kermit (Erasmus), (Mark) Fish nabanye. Baningi. Mhlawumbe isizathu sokuthi ingamkhululi njengamanje yingoba ibheke izinhloso zayo kule sizini,” uqhube kanje uMokoena.
“Ngifisa sengathi angaqonda ngokuphelele, asize iqembu, aqedele isizini ngoba yilona okufanele lithathe isinqumo. Nami ngake ngafuna ukushiya iPirates ngiye phesheya kodwa ekugcineni isinqumo sathathwa yiqembu ngoba nganginenkontileka nalo, ngaqhubeka nokudlala.”
IPirates ikhiphe isitatimende, ikuchitha ukuthi kukhona iqembu elalifuna uSaleng.
UTeko Modise ngomunye umdlali owake wagijima kwiPirates, useke wadalula ukuthi leli qembu lanqaba ukumdayisela amaqembu aphesheya ayemfuna.
UMokoena uthe uSaleng angazikhanyisela indlela ngokunqobisa Ezimnyama izicoco.
“Ngingasebenzisa uRele (Mofokeng) njengesibonelo. Indlela adlala ngayo yenza abalandeli bePirates babone esefanelwe ukulishiya iqembu ayogijima phesheya,” usho kanje.
“Okubalulekile manje wukubona uSaleng enkundleni. I-Afcon isiseduze, ngifuna ukumbona kwiBafana Bafana. Wayesezofika lapho kodwa lokhu okwenzekayo sekumbuyisele emuva. Ngicela noma ngabe ngubani othola ithuba lokukhuluma naye amnike izeluleko ezakhayo. Uma kungenzeki lokho angahle abe ngomunye wabadlali abadlala kahle amasizini ambalwa bese kuyaphela ngabo.”