ABAHLAZIYI nabaqeqeshi bakanobhutshuzwayo bonke bayavumelala ngokuthi iqoqo eliwu-D iBafana Bafana eboshelwe kulo neMorocco, Ivory Coast neNamibia kwi-African Cup of Nations (Afcon) yilona elibonakala lingelikawafa wafa, uma kuqhathaniswa namanye amaqoqo.
Ukuqhathwa kwamazwe
angu-24 azodlala kwi-Afcon kusukela ngoJuni 21 kuze kuyophothulwa ngowamanqamu ngoJulayi 19 kwenzeke eGiza, eCairo ngoLwesihlanu.
Ukunyukela kwaleli qoqo kufakazelwe nawumqeqeshi weGhana, uKwesi Appiah, othe uma ebuzwa intatheli yeSupeSport ngokuthi ngabe yiliphi iqoqo alibona kungelezinkani zababili waphendula wathi: “Okuyilona iqoqo engilibon kungelikawafawafa yileli elineMorocco, Ivory Coast neSouth Africa.”
UDean Furman ongenye yezinsika kwiBafana eyagcina ukunqoba ngo-1996 uphawule wathi: “Nakuba kuqhathwe kahle kodwa ngeke sizitshele ngoba sithi kukhona neNamibia.
Emidlalweni yokuhlunga sithole isifundo sokuthi ungawayeli ngobuso amazwe athathwa ngokuthi mancane ebholeni lase-Afrika. Ngakho kuzofanele sizibambe ziqine.”
Ngokunjalo kwiwebsite yeSafa umqeqeshi weBafana uStuart Baxter uphawule wathi: “Kunzima kodwa kuqhathwe kahle. Sidlala kahle uma sidlala namazwe amakhulu kodwa sidonse kanzima uma sesibheken namancane.
“Uma sidlale ngokwezinga lethu angingabazi ukuthi sizowanikeza inkinga amanye amaqembu. Nomakunjalo ngeke simemeze simi phezu kwentaba kodwa sinesiqiniseko sokuthi ngeke siye lapha ukuyogcina icala kuleli qoqo. Leli yiqoqo elinamaqembu amahle kakhulu ngakho kwenza kube nesasasa.”
Phezu kokuthi bonke bebona ukuthi leli qoqo elineBafana ngelokufa kodwa uJoe Nkosi oke waba imenenja yeBafana eBurkina Faso ngo 1998 ubona ngokwehlukile njengoba ebona iMorocco ne-Ivory Coast ngokomlando ukhomba ukuthi akuwona amaqatha angabinda iBafana.
IVory Coast eyaziwa
ngama-Elephants nekhiqize abadlali abanjengoYaya Toure noDidier Drogba inqobe lo mqhudelwano ngo 1992 nango 2015.
“Selokhu kwathi nhlo, iMorocco ayilona izwe elijwayele ukusinikeza inkinga yize noma selithole umqeqeshi omusha futhi okhaliphile (Harve Renarde obeyiqeqesha kwiFifa World Cup ebiseRussia ngonyaka odlule)
“Ngakwi Ivory Coast ngibabonile abaseyona lelizwe ababeyilona phambilini. Uzokhumbula ukuthi nangesikhathi esiphambili babengasihluphi kangako.
“Angiyiphathi eyeNamibia kufanele sithathe amaphuzu amathathu kuyona,” kusho uNkosi.
UJohny “Black Sunday” Masegela owaduma kwi-Orlando Pirates uthe:
“Iqoqo abakulona alilula, Kodwa indlela abaqede ngayo emidlalweni yokuzibekisela indawo. Le ndlela izokwenza abaqeqeshi bamanye amaqembu baphathwe amakhanda. IBafana iyiqembu okuthi uma lidlala kabi kuphele amathemba kubantu. Kodwa uma bedlala kahle njengoba benzile emidlalweni yokuhlunga babayinkinga emaqenjini amaningi,
Ngaphandle kokuthi leli qoqo libukeka linzima kodwa okuzokwenza ukuthi kushube kakhulu ngumbango wezombusazwe okhona phakathi kweMorocco neNingizimu Afrika.
Konke ukuqhathwa kwamazwe kuhambe kanje: Group A: Egypt, DR Congo, Uganda, Zimbabwe ; Group B: Nigeria, Guinea, Madagascar, Burundi; Group C: Senegal, Algeria, Kenya, Tanzania.; Group E: Angola, Mauritania, Mali, Tunisia; Group F: Guinea Bissau, Benin, Ghana, Cameroon