Inkunzi isematholeni: IBafana Bafana kufanele ibunjwe yinjejane
Iqembu lesizwe likanobhutshuzwayo lalapha eNingizimu Afrika iBafana Bafana liphoxe izinkumbi zabalandeli lihluleka ukungenela umqhudelwano omkhulu lapha e-Afrika, i-African Cup of Nations (AFCON) ezokuba seCameroon ngonyaka ozayo.
Cishe kuyona yonke iminxa yezemidlalo kuleli ayikho esiphoxe kakhulu njengeBafana Bafana, ayiqalanga namhlanje kodwa isineminyaka. Okubuhlungu kakhulu ukuthi kwala noma kuthiwa idlala umdlalo wobungani siyaqhubeka siyiseke, phela sizothini izwe lethu noma kuthiwa alenzi kahle kangakanani. Ngikhuluma nje yagcina ukujabulisa abantu balapha eNingizimu Afrika inqoba i-AFCON ngonyaka we-1996 lapho isaqeqeshwa uClive Baker. NgoLwesine olwedlule ngibuke umdlalo wobungani obubandakanya yona iBafana Bafana ne-Uganda, nogcine uphele ngamathathu kwamabili kunqoba elakuleli. Indlela uHelman “Mancane” Mkhelele okunguye obehlezi ebhentshini leBafana Bafana, akade ebophele ngayo isikimu sakhe ingihlabe umxhwele.
Ufake abadlali abaningi abancane, lapho ngibala uSiphesihle Mkhulise noRushine De Reuck beMamelodi Sundowns, u-Ethan Brooks weTS Galaxy, uBongokuhle Hlongwane oshaye igoli yena odlalela iMaritzburg United, uSibusiso Mabiliso obeku-AmaZulu FC osekhonjwa kuKaizer Chiefs noDenwin Farmer weBaroka FC.
Laba abangenhla ilaba ekade beqale umdlalo, kwafakwa u-Evidence Makgopa ogijima kuBaroka FC wafika washaya amagoli amabili. Lo mdlali uneminyaka engama-21 uqokwe njengomdlali omncane ovelele kuligi iDStv Premiership. Ngibona sekuyisikhathi sokuthi iqembu lesizwe iBafana Bafana lisebenzise abadlali abancane manje. Sithi sikhala ukuthi ihluliwe kodwa vele sibhacazelwa abadlali abancane ngoba ngibona iningi labadlali abadala selihlulekile ukusilwela siyizwe.
Kungcono sidliselwe abadlali abancane, uma kungathiwa kuya ngami bancane abadlali engingathi bakhulile engingabafaka eqenjini lesizwe. Kubadlali abahlezi bedlala kuBafana Bafana engingabafaka uPercy Tau, uBongani Zungu, uThembinkosi Lorch, uKeagan Dolly, uBradley Grobler, uKermit Erasmus, uThemba Zwane noThabo Nodada.
Sinabadlali abafana noThabo Cele odlalela iCova da Piedade, uSiphephelo Sithole odlalela iBelenenses SAD, uLuther Singh wePacos de Ferreira wonke la maqembu awasePortugal, uRivaldo Coetzee weMamelodi Sundowns. La badlali yize bebancane kodwa emaqenjini abo babe nesizini enhle kabi, ngikholwa ukuthi neBafana Bafana bangadlala kahle. UNjabulo Ngcobo weSwallows FC angadlala kahle kakhulu emumva, uTeboho Mokoena noSipho Mbule beSupersport United ibona badlali abadingakalayo manje eqenjini lesizwe. Izingane aziqale zisidlalele kahle emqhudelwanweni we-Olympics, bese kukhandelwa phezu kwazo, sazi sidlala ngazo imidlalo yokuhlunga.
Sekuyisikhathi sokuthi manje sikhaliswa ukuhlulwa kwezingane ezincane, okubuhlungu labantu abadala kuvelwe kubizwe umuntu okhuhla ibhentshi eqenjini lakhe kuthiwe akazodlala eqenjini lesizwe. Lokho kungitshela ukuthi vele abadlali abaningi bafakwa eqenjini lesizwe ilabo abaphethe izindaba zabo ababizwa ngokuthi ama-ejenti.
Iqembu lesizwe lase-England liye emqhudelwanweni i-Euro nenqwaba yabadlali abancane, kulabo badlali kukhona uJadon Sancho noPhil Foden abaneminyaka engama-21, uMarcus Rashford oneminyaka engama-23, uMason Mount yena onengama-22 ukubalwa abambalwa umdlali omdala kakhulu uJordan Henderson oneminyaka engama-30. Umgadli waseGhana u-Asamoah Gyan ngonyaka wezi-2010 kumqhudelwano iNdebe YoMhlaba eyabe ilapha eNingizimu Afrika uyena owayeyisithenjwa sezwe lakhe kodwa waba eneminyaka yobudala engama-25.
IBrazil ihlezi idlala imiqhudelwano okubalwa neNdebe YoMhlaba ngezingane ezincane, thina yini engasihlula ukwenza lokho njengoba sinabadlali abangaka nje. Kanti iyini inhloso yeDStv Diski Challenge ngoba phela eyokuthuthukisa abadlali abancane. Bazokhuthazeka kanjani abadlali abancane ukuthi nabo bezibone bedlala kuBafana Bafana ekubeni kusadlaliswa amakhehla. Kungcono ikhehla eliwusizo kunaleli elifaka amanzi endlini. Yebo kuke kushiwo ukuthi “Isipiliyoni asithengwa”, kodwa ngibona kwabona laba abanesipiliyoni behluleka ingcaca.
Kongijabulisa uma kuthiwa sidlala umdlalo wokuhlunga nezwe eliqinile ngabadlali abancane kube ukuthi umdlali okhulile oneminyaka engama-30 kuphela mhlampe nakhona babili bese kuba iningi lalabadlali abancane engibabale ngenhla.
Kodwa uma sizoqhubeka namakhehla, sisazoqhubeka silokhu siphatheka kabuhlungu siphoxwa ukuboza kweBafana Bafana. Kusho ukuthi iNdebe YoMhlaba soze singene kuyona mhlazane sayisingatha, umbuzo ngamuphi unyaka? Sobe sesaba mathambo mhlophe sonke.
