UNOZINTI weBafana Bafana, u-Itumeleng Khune, uyayichitha eyokuthi akekho unozinti osengathatha indawo yakhe eqenjini lesizwe.
UKhune ubekade ekhuluma ngesikhathi inkampani iSouth African Breweries (SAB) yethula ngokusemthethweni ijezi okuhloswe ngalo ukuthi abalandeli baseke amaqembu esizwe womathathu - Bafana Bafana, Proteas namaBhokobhoko.
Ijezi, elinawo womathathu amabheji amaqembu esizwe, lethulwe eMandela Square, eSandton, ngeSonto ntambama. AmaProteas abemelwe nguTemba Bavuma, kumaBhokobhoko bekukhona uTrevor Nyakane. UKhune kade emele iBafana.
Umcimbi ulandelwe wukubukwa bukhoma komdlalo wokuhlungela i-Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) phakathi kweLibya neBafana onqotshwe yiBafana ngo 2-1. Unozinti weBafana, uDarren Keet, uhlabe uKhune umxhwele evimba into ecokeme nakuba iningi belikade lingamethembi.
Empeleni kucacile ukuthi abantu baseNingizimu Afrika okwamanje basathemba uKhune ezintini. Kube nongabazane emuva kokulimala kwakhe.
“Kuhlala kukuhle ukubona umbango wejezi ushuba kuzona zonke izindawo enkundleni. Ngizobuyela enkundleni. Kuzofanele ngisebenze ngokuphindiwe ukubuyisa ijezi lami kodwa uDarren Keet wenze kahle kakhulu. Ngeke ngimangale uma eligcina ijezi isikhathi eside ngoba nami ngike ngayihamba le ndlela ngavimbela iqembu lesizwe iminyaka engaphezu kuka-10. Kodwa manje kuyakhombisa ukuthi abanye onozinti bayalifuna leli jezi. Ngiyawemukela umbango wejezi ngezandla zombili,” kusho uKhune.
“Akulona iqiniso ukuthi akekho unozinti ongathatha indawo yami. Sibonile ukuthi uDarren yini akwazi ukuyenza. Sinabanye abancane, uRonwen Williams noBruce Bvuma. Kukhona uRiyaard Pieterse osalindile. Izinga liphezulu eNingizimu Afrika. Sibusisiwe ukuba nonozinti ababanga ijezi abenza kahle ngale ndlela ukusiza izwe liwine.”
IBafana izibekisele indawo kwi-Afcon ezoba se-Egypt ngoJuni namanye amazwe awu-23. Kuzobe kungokokuqala ukuthi umqhudelwano udlalwe ngamaqembu awu-24 kwazise abehlala ewu-16. IBafana igcine ukudlala kwi-Afcon ngo-2015 e-Equitorial Guinea iqeqeshwa ngu-Ephraim “Shakes” Mashaba.
“Ngiphelelwa amazwi. Ngiyabajabulela abafana, iqembu nezwe lonke. Ukuzibekisela kwethu indawo kwi-Afcon kukhombisa ukuthi kade silambe kangakanani. Siyazi ukuthi kade sibazwisa ubuhlungu abantu bakuleli ngokuhluleka ukungena emiqhudelwaneni emikhulu. Kodwa kusukela siqale imidlalo yokuhlunga sikhombisile ukuthi silambe kangakanani nokuthi sikufuna kangakanani ukuzibekisela indawo. Ukudlala imidlalo eyisithupha, singenelwe amagoli amabili kuyinto enkulu. Kufanele siqhubeke. Njengoba sizodlala imidlalo yobungani ukulungiselela i-Afcon kufanele siqhubeke nokushaya into ecokeme kanje,” kusho uKhune.