Sibusiso Mdlalose
OYINHLOKO yabaqeqeshi esifundeni seSafa Amajuba, uJeff Nkosi, uthi akanakho nokuncane ukungabaza ukuthi uManqoba Mngqithi usekulungele ngokuphelele ukuyibamba ishisa kwiMamelodi Sundowns.
UMngqithi (49), odabuka eMzimkhulu, KwaZulu-Natal, usanda kuqokwa noRhulani Mokwena kwesokuhola ithimba labaqeqeshi kumaSandawana ngemuva kokuhamba kukaPitso Mosimane, oseqeqesha i-Al Ahly eyizingqungqulu ze-Egyptian Premier League, yase-Egypt.
Yize bekhethwe bobabili, uMngqithi noMokwena, ukuba baqhoqhobale esokuqeqesha amaBrazilians kodwa nguMngqithi okuthiwa uzoba nezwi lokugcina.
Lokho kukhomba ngokusobala ukuthi kukhala isicathulo sikaMngqithi, ojoyine leli qembu laseChloorkop njengephini likaMosimane ngo-2014.
UNkosi, ongomunye wabaqeqeshi abengamela izifundo zokuqeqesha ngaphansi kwezinhlaka zeSafa esifundazweni saseKZN nasezingeni likazwelonke, uthi kungaba yiphutha ukuqhathanisa uMngqithi noMosimane.
“Ngokwami ukubona uManqoba usekulungele ngokuphelele ukubhekana nenselelo yokuhola iqembu elinjengeSundowns futhi anginakho nokuncane ukungabaza ngalokho.
“Amagalelo akhe ayaziwa, usuke kude kakhulu nebhola, futhi uqeqeshe kuzo zonke izigaba zebhola kusukela kuSAB Regional League, Vodacom League (esiyi-ABC Motsepe League), First Division (esiyiGladAfrica Championship) kuze kuzofika kuPremiership.
“Lokho, kumenza abe ngumqeqeshi ophelele, futhi oliqonda kahle ibhola nosikompilo lalo eNingizimu Afrika.
“Ngesizini ka-2002 uthathe iMoja United ebidlala kwiVodacom League wayikhuphulela kwi-1st Division, nokuthathe iminyaka eminingi ukuthi kuphinde kube khona omunye umqeqeshi waKwaZulu-Natal ukwenza lokho (kuze kwaba nguSimo Dladla ngo-2016 efaka iReal Kings kwiNFD isuka kwiMotsepe League). Ngenkathi esaqeqesha kwiGolden Arrows akekho umthandi webhola obengathandi ukubuka i-Arrows idlala ngenxa yebhola ebelidlalwa khona.
“Okunye futhi okufanele kukhumbuleke ukuthi nguye oqale ukwakha i-technical team enkulu kwi-Arrows, eyayihlanganisa ababengamaphini akhe uMandla Ncikazi noPera Ranthlakane waseBloemfontein, uMoses “Skebhe” Khanyeza owayeqeqesha onozinti (ngokubambisana no-Alexandre Revoredo waseBrazil), nabaqeqeshi baseBrazil (uLuis Reis Goncalves owayeyiphini lomqeqeshi noCarlos Parreira owayeqeqesha abadlali ukuthi babe qatha ngokomzimba).
“Ngakho-ke ukufika kwakhe kwiSundowns asebenze kwi-technical team enkulu akuzange kube yinto enzima kuye ngoba yinto ayesevele eyazi,” kuqhuba uNkosi, owake waba yiphini likaFred “Junior” Njiyela (ongasekho) kwiNewcastle Blizzards eyayidlala kwi-1st Division ngeminyaka yabo-1990.
ISundowns izovula isizini ngokubhekana neKaizer Chiefs kwephezulu.