UJomo ubona sekufanele iBafana iwine i-Afcon

USIHLALO weJomo Cosmos, u-Ephraim “Jomo” Sono, ukholwa wukuthi sesifikile isikhathi sokuthi iqembu lesizwe, iBafana Bafana, libuyise isithunzi salo ebholeni lase-Afrika ngokunqoba i-Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) okwehlandla lesibili. 

USono owayeqeqesha iBafana iguqiswa yi-Egypt ngo 2-0 kowamanqamu we-Afcon ngo-1998 eBurkina Faso, usho kanjena nje iqembu labadlali abangu-25 leBafana elisanda kuqokwa ngumqeqeshi uHugo Broos, lizobhekisa amabombo eMorocco ukuyoyibamba kwi-Afcon ezoqala ngoDisemba 21, usongwe ngoJanuwari 18.

IBafana eqhathwe ne-Egypt, i-Angola neZimbabwe kuGroup B. Izovula ne-Angola ngoDisemba 22.

“Sesiside kakhulu isikhathi sikhuluma ngeBafana Bafana ka-1996 eyawina i-Afcon. Manje sekuyisikhathi sokuthi sikhulume ngenye iBafana Bafana esizuze enye indebe ye-Afcon njengamanye amazwe ase-Afrika athathwa njengayizikhondlakhondla.

Ngo-1996 sakwazi ukuyinqoba i-Afcon ngemuva kweminyaka emihlanu kuphela sibuyele ebholeni lomhlaba, kwaphinda kwala kancane ukuthi sisivikele isicoco sishaywa yi-Egypt kowamanqamu eBurkina Faso.

Ngo-2000 eGhana naseNigeria sakwazi ukufinyelela kowandulela owamanqamu okwakuwubufakazi bokuthi kukhona lapho esasibheke khona,” kusho uSono, owayehola iBafana kwiNdebe yoMhlaba ka-2002 eKorea-Japan.  

“Ngemuva kwalokho sihlehlile kakhulu kangangokuthi kuze kwaba nesikhathi lapho sehluleka khona ngisho ukuya kwi-Afcon.

Kodwa kucacile ukuthi siwalungisile amaphutha kule minyaka embalwa edlule ngaphansi komqeqeshi okhona njengamanje, uHugo Broos, njengoba sikwazile ngonyaka odlule ukufinyelela kweyandulela owamanqamu e-Afcon. 

Ngakho-ke ngokwami ngaleli qembu esinalo ngibona sesifikile isikhathi sokuthi sibuyise isithunzi sethu e-Afrika ngokunqoba enye indebe ye-Afcon.”

Ngokusho kukaSono iBafana ebophele abadlali abaningi be-Orlando Pirates nabeMamelodi Sundowns abanamava okudlala kwiCaf Champions League, nabambalwa abadlala e-Europe, ikulungele ukubhekana nanoma yiliphi iqembu kwi-Afcon ngaphansi kukaBroos owawunqoba lo mqhudelwano neCameroon ngo-2017 eGabon. 

“Leli qembu leBafana selidlale ndawonye isikhathi ngaphansi kukaBroos futhi amava abadlali beSundowns nabePirates okudlala kwiChampions League yiwona eliwadinga kakhulu kulo mqhudelwano.

Ngaphandle kwalokho, uBroos ungumqeqeshi onamava, oyaziyo into ayenzayo. Ukhumbule useke wayiwina i-Afcon. Ngakho ngiyalethemba leli qembu aliqokile noma singeke sineliseke sonke ngabadlali abaqokiwe. Badinga thina bantu baseNingizimu Afrika njengoba beyosimela eMorocco,"kusho uSono.