UMQEQESHI weMamelodi Sundowns, uRhulani Mokwena, uthi ukulokhu beqhuzuka endaweni kwiCaf Champions League ukuthatha njengokuthola isipiliyoni njengoba ezimisele ukuthi aqhubeke azame ukukuwela lo mgoqo naleli qembu lasePitoli.
ISundowns ishayelwe ekhaya yi-Esperance yaseTunisia ngo 1-0 ngoLwesihlanu emdlalweni womlenze wesibili kowandulela owamanqamu weChampions League, eLoftus Versfeld Stadium, ePitoli.
I-Esperance inqobe ngo 2-0 uma sekuhlanganiswa ukunqoba kwayo ngo 1-0 kowomlenze wokuqala, yabe seyedlulela kowamanqamu ezowudlala ne-Al Ahly yase-Egypt.
Nangesizini edlule iSundowns yehluleka kowandulela owamanqamu alo mqhudelwano ikhishwa yiWydad Casablanca yaseMorocco.
UMokwena uthe usafuna ukuhlala kuleli lasePitoli, yize ekuqonda ukuthi imiphumela ibalulekile.
“Angiyena umnikazi weqembu. Ngilapha (kwiSundowns) ngenxa yomsebenzi wami, ukuba umsebenzi wami awumuhle ngabe angisekho lapha,” kusho uMokwena ekhuluma neSABC Sport ngemuva komdlalo.
“Ngakho ngisafuna ukuba lapha, ngoba ngiyalithanda leli qembu. Ngiyabathanda abalandeli baleli qembu futhi ngiyabathanda nabadlali balo abasezingeni eliphezulu.
Ngisafuna ukuba lapha kodwa-ke umsebenzi wokuqeqesha uya ngemiphumela, okuyingakho-ke ngiselapha.”
Ebuzwa lo mqeqeshi ukuthi iSundowns izoyinqoba kanjani oyekwehluleka kwayo ukwenza kahle kwiChampions League, uthe basazoqhubeka bazame.
“Sisazoqhubeka sizame. Ngokuqhubeka kwethu sizama sithola amava, kuyogcina kulungile. Kulungile abantu bazobancoma (abe-Esperance) ngeqhinga labo abalisebenzisile ukusehlula kodwa ngicabanga ukuthi yithina ebesiphezulu kunabo ngomdlalo. Emuva besivimba kahle, simandla futhi nasekuhlaseleni.
Ibhola linjalo-ke, uthola amathuba amaningi kodwa ugcine uhluliwe. Ngisho besingadlala eminye imizuzu engu-90, besingeke silishaye igoli.
Sithole amathuba amaningi, sadlala kangcono kakhulu. Ngakho-ke kufanele ngibancome abadlali bami ngokuzinikela nokumela kahle iqembu.”
Nakuba uMokwena engumqeqeshi okhombisa ukuba nempumelelo kuleli qembu kusukela ethathe izintambo ngokugcwele njengenhloko yomqeqeshi ngesizini ka-2022/23, usabhekene nenselelo yokuphelelisa ubungqwele bakhe kwezokuqeqesha ngokunqoba iChampions League.
Ukwehluleka ukufinyelela kowamanqamu eChampions League kusho ukuthi amaSandawana asezogxila ngokuphelele ekuqhubekeni nokuvikela isicoco seDStv Premiership asedinga amaphuzu ambalwa ukusinqoba.
Ukunqoba isicoco sePremiership kuyobe kusho ukubuyela kweDowns kwiChampions League ukuyozama futhi.
Ngaphandle kwalokho, lezi zingqungqulu zasePitoli zisenethuba lesinye isicoco kule sizini, iNedbank Cup ukwengeza emgodleni wazo kule sizini njengoba zizibule nge-African Football League (AFL) ngoNovemba ziguqisa iWydad Casablanca kowamanqamu.