UKgatlana uthi ulapho ekhona kungenxa yeBanyana Banyana
Umgadli weqembu lalapha eNingizimu Afrika iBanyana Banyana uThembi Kgatlana ungumdlali osematheni kuleli njengoba ezinsukwini ezedlule kuvele izindaba ezinhle zokuthi usengumdali wezikhondlakhondla zaseSpain i-Atletico Madrid, asayine kuyona inkontileka yeminyaka emibili. Muva nje usekhiphe incwadi yakhe ethi Strike a Rock: The Story of Thembi Kgatlana.
Le ncwadi ibhalwe nguNikolaos Kirkinis, ayigxili kuphela ohambweni ohambeni lukanobhutshuzwayo uThembi olumthathe ukusuka eMohlakeng lapho adabuka khona lwamyisa e-US, iseChina, isePortugal naseSpain, kepha inikeza nezinkulumo ezikhuthazayo nezinika ithemba lapho lingekho khona.
Ebuzwa ukuthi uzizwa enjani ngokujoyina i-Atletico Madrid okuyiqembu elikhulu uthe: “Ngeke ngiqambe amanga. Kuyamangalisa. Ibhola labesifazane liyakhula e-Afrika, futhi sifuna la mathuba okufinyelela esicongweni. Kuyinto engangikhuthazi nje kuphela, kepha ekhuthaza intombazane elandelayo efisa ukudlala lapha e-Europe. Bangakwazi ukulandela amaphupho abo uma benza umzamo futhi bahambisane nalokho abakwenzayo” kusho uKgatlana.
UThembi ujoyina i-Atletico Madrid nje ubedlalela i-ISD Eibar yakhona eSpain, iBeijing BG Phoenix yaseChina, iHouston Dash yase-USA, neSL Benfica yasePortugal.
Ebuzwa ngokuthi linjani izinga laseSpain uma liqhathaniswa nakwamanye amazwe uthe: “Izinga eSpain liphakeme kakhulu. BanePrimera Division neSegunda División Pro, lokho kuyayiqinisa iligi. Sinamaqembu afana neBarcelona, iReal Madrid, i-Atletico Madrid, iValencia, manje sesibonile neVillareal ilungela ukuyodlala kwiPrimera Division.
Maningi amaqembu abesilisa asefaka imali ebholeni labesifazane lokho kuyayenza iligi iqine ngoba banemali, izinsizakusebenza, noma yini edingekayo ukudlala ibhola ezingeni eliphezulu ikhona. Sibonile iReal Madrid idlale kuligi enkulu okokuqala yakwazi ukuzibekela indawo kumqhudelwano we-UEFA Champions League. Awukaze ubone kwenzeka izinto ezinje. Sibonile iBarcelona iqhubeka nokunqoba iligi ingahlulwanga. Namanje iyona eyenza kahle kwiChampions League futhi njengamanje ingompetha be-European Women. Lokhu kuqinisekisa ukuthi iPrimera Division iqine kakhulu” kusho uThembi.
Le ntokazi eneminyaka engama-25 ngesizini edlule ibalwe nabadlali abashaye amagoli amaningi. “Ekuqaleni bekunzima ngoba bengingaziboni ngiba lapho engikhona, ngikusho lokho ngoba bezingekho izinsiza futhi ngibona umdlalo wabesifazane unganakiwe kangako. Kodwa ngenkathi ngiqala ukudlalela iqembu lesizwe, ngidlala imidlalo yokuhlunga emazingeni aphansi ngadlala nomqhudelwano weNdebe yoMhlaba yilapho iphupho laqala ukusondela khona. Kwakunzima kimina ekuqaleni, kodwa ngakhumbula ukuthi uPortia Modise waya e-Europe, ngenkathi eya eDenmark futhi ngangidlala naye. Ngabona ukuthi nakumina kungenzeka” kusho uThembi.
Ebuzwa ukuthi uzizwa enjani njengoba eseyisibonelo kubadlali abancane abaphupha izinto ezinkulu uthe: “Kunzima ngoba ngizama ukuba nguThembi ngiphinde ngilandele amaphupho ami, abadlali abaningi bafuna ukuba imina ngolunye usuku. Uma ngibuyele ekhaya ngihamba emgwaqeni, kakhulukazi intsha iyangilandela lokho kungenza ngizibone ngumuntu obalulekile emphakathini. Kodwa engingakufuni ukuthi abantu bathi ‘ngifuna ukufana noThembi’, nabo banaphupho abo. Ngiyazi baningi abadlali ababengaphuphi ukuthi badlale ibhola babefisa okunye kodwa ngoba sebebona mina nabo bafuna ukulandela. Kodwa labo abanephupho lokudlala unobhutshuzwayo banethuba elikhulu njengoba sekukhona iligi enkulu nje eNingizimu Afrika” kusho uThembi.
Lolu nyazi lomgadli likubalulile ukuthi ulapho ekhona nje kungenhla yeBanyana Banyana, ekwaziyo ukuthi incintisane namazwe anazozonke izinsiza.
“Ukukhuluma iqiniso kunzima. Kepha ekugcineni kosuku sonke sifuna amathuba. Bengingeke ngibe nguThembi lo engiwuyena ukube bekungeyona iBanyana Banyana. Ngabe angidlali kwi-Atletico ukube bekungeyona iBanyana. Amantombazane amaningi ezweni abheka iBanyana njengendlela eya ekuvezeni amakhono abo. Ngakho-ke, uma ungaphumelela kuBanyana lapho-ke useduze nokufeza amaphupho akho. Akuqinisekisiwe, kepha useduze. Uma uya kwiFifa World Cup, kunesiqinisekiso sokuthi amaqembu azokubona. Uma uya ku-Afcon, kuma-Olympic, yonke imiqhudelwano emikhulu… amaqembu azokubona” usho kanje.
Ebuzwa ngobudlelwano bakhe nomqeqeshi weBanyana Banyana uDesiree Ellis uthe: “Iqiniso kumnandi ukuqeqeshwa umqeqeshi oseke waba ngumdali walowo mdlalo, uDes usenzela izinto zibe lula kakhulu.Udlale ibhola lapho engekho amathuba. Laba ngabantu esibabheke phezulu. Babebaningi abadlali beBanyana ababedlala lapho izinto zingenzeki.
Abantu abanjengomqeqeshi uDes beza ebholeni labesifazane ukuzoqondisa abesifazane. Hhayi ngokuya ngokuthi uvelaphi, kepha kunalokho ngokubazisa ngamathuba akhona. Sidinga abantu abafana nomqeqeshi uDes nabanye abadlale naye ukuqondisa abesifazane kuligi kazwelonke. Usebenza umsebenzi omkhulu kwiBanyana, ewina imiklomelo yokuba ngumqeqeshi wonyaka kwiCAF. Mina naye sizwana kakhulu akukho okungale, ngoba wonke umdlali oseqenjini lesizwe uhlezi emikhuthaza ngamunye” kusho uThembi.
Ebuzwa ukuthi yini abalandeli abangayilindela kuyena ngesizini ezoqala uthe: “Uma ngikhuluma iqiniso, ngithanda ukuthatha into eyodwa ngesikhathi. Ngijoyine i-Atletico Madrid eyiqembu elikhulu. Igxathu elilandelayo lempilo yami bekuyilelo lokudlalela iqembu elikhulu. Angifuni ukuthi ngifuna ukushaya amagoli angama-20 bese kungasenzi lokho bese kuyangihlupha. Ngiya khona ngiyofunda okuningi, bese ngilungisa lapho okumele ngilungise khona” usho kanje.
Esonga uthe kubuhlungu ukuthi akayi kuma-Olympics kodwa bazofunda kukhulu khona. Uzimisele futhi ukuthi asize iBanyana Banyana yenze kahle emdlalweni yokuhlungela i-Afcon bese iyodlala iNdebe YoMhlaba.