SITHEMBISO MKHIZE
UMQEQESHI okuwukuphela kwakhe iBafana Bafana eyanqoba isicoco se-Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) ngaphansi kwakhe, uClive "The Dog" Barker, uthi iSouth African Football Association (Safa) mayifongqe isigqoko kuPitso Mosimane, imcele abuye azotakula iqembu lesizwe elisenkingeni.
UBarker okwaqala kwagcina ngaye ukunqoba inkomishi ye-Afcon, ngo-1996, utshele Isolezwe la mazwi ngemva kokuthi iBafana iphoxile ihlulwa yiSudan ngo 2-0 ngeSonto ebusuku, okusho ukuthi ayilubhadi kulo mqhudelwano ozoba ngonyaka ozayo eCameroon.
Ku-Group C, ezikaMolefi Ntseki zisonge zisendaweni yesithathu, ngamaphuzu awu-10. Kuhamba iGhana esonge inawu-13 neSudan eqede inamaphuzu awu-12. IBafana ibifike emdlalweni idinga ukudlala ngokulingana nje kuphela.
UBarker ubalisele Isolezwe ethi ngeSonto ebusuku ulale inhliziyo yakhe ibuhlungu ngendlela eyisimanga.
Uthe kuyihlazo ukuthi elakuleli elineligi okuthiwa ithathwa njengesezingeni eliphezulu, lagcina ngo-1996 ukunqoba lo mqhudelwano ozodlalwa amazwe awu-24 ngonyaka ozayo.
Uqhube wathi kuzomele kube khona okwenziwayo njengoba umonakalo uya ngokuba mkhulu.
Uthe ngokwakhe umuntu ongatakula elakuleli uMosimane.
"ISafa ayizame ukukhuluma noMosimane, ngibona kuwuyena ikhambi lenkinga yakuleli. Usezivezile ukuthi ungumqeqeshi osezingeni eliphezulu. Izicoco zase-Afrika usezinqobile. Okunye okuhle ngaye wukuthi unesineke aphinde abe nehlo lwabadlali. Enjalo nje uhlakaniphile, uyaliqonda ibhola lakuleli. Usuku lwami lwangeSonto ngilusonge kabuhlungu," kubeka uBarker.
UMosimane oseqeqesha i-Al Ahly yase-Egypt, uke wayiqeqesha iBafana phakathi kuka-2010 kuya ku-2012. Uqale waba yiphini likaCarlos Alberto waseBrazil kusukela ku-2006 kuya ku-2010. Usebenzile nangaphansi kukaJoel Santana wakhona eBrazil.
UBarker uqhube wathi: "Angiqondile ukudelela noma ukweya uNtseki kodwa okweqembu lesizwe kwehlukile, kudingeka umuntu osenqobe izicoco. Ozokwazi ukubuyisa isithunzi seNingizimi Afrika. Elakuleli linabo abadlali nabaqeqeshi, okubalulekile ukubathaka ngendlela efanele.“
Le nkakha oyanqobisa AmaZulu isicoco seCoca Cola Cup ngo-1992, ithe omunye umqeqeshi ongaba wusizo eqenjini lesizwe uBenni McCarthy ocija uSuthu.
"Nakuba kungekho okutheni osekunqotshwe uBenni kodwa uthi akafane noMosimane. Unentshisekelo ngomsebenzi wakhe. Okuhle ngaye ukuthi uyakhula kulo mkhakha kanti ubuswa nawumoya wokunqoba. Bheka nje ukuthi uSuthu ulushintshe kanjani,“ kusho uBarker.
Kafishane ngomlando weBafana kwi-Afcon:
Yayinqoba ngo-1996 iqala ukuyingenela.
Ngo-1998 yaphuma isibili kwathi ngo-2000 yaphuma isithathu.
Ngo-2002 yakhishwa kuma-quarterfinal.
Ngo-2004, 2006, 2008 yakhishwa esigabeni samaqoqo.
Ngo-2010 nango-2012 yahluleka ukungena kulo mqhudelwano.
Ngo-2013 yaphuma kuma-quarterfinal. Ngo-2015 yaphuma esigabeni samaqoqo.
Ngo-2017 ayiyanga. Ngo-2019 yaphuma kuma-quarterfinal.