Dylan Bettencourt
Umphathi weqembu lesizwe lase-Sierra Leone, uJohn Keister, uthe abantu abawujabuleli umsebenzi wakhe onzima wokufaka iqembu kweye-Afcon.
I-Sierra Leone imangaze abaningi emhlabeni webhola njengoba yenze kahle kakhulu ngaphambi kokuba iphume emqhudelwaneni walo nyaka we-Afcon. Kade besele ngephenalthi eyodwa ukuthi bafinyelele esigabeni somkhumulajezi okokuqala emlandweni wabo.
UKeister obebonakala ukuthi ukhathazekile uthe yena nethimba lakhe bazuze okungaphezulu kakhulu kwalokho obekulindelwe inoma ngubani e-Cameroon.
“Ngicabanga ukuthi njengezwe, neqembu enginalo, siphumelele kakhulu ngesikhathi esifushane. Ngisebenze kanzima, kodwa abantu abanendaba nalokho,” kusho uKeister etshela i-BBC Africa.
Lo mphathi oneminyaka engu-51 ubudala waholela i-Leone Stars kweye-Afcon okokuqala eminyakeni engu-26, bangena eqoqweni ne-Nigeria, i-Lesotho ne-Benin.
Baphinde bahlabeka umxhwele ngokwedlulela esigabeni samaqoqo kulo mqhudelwano bedlala ngokulingana nompetha ababusayo, i-Algeria ne-Ivory Coast. I-Sierra Leone idinge nje kuphela ukudlala ngokulingana umdlalo wayo wokugcina ukuze ifinyelele esigabeni samaqembu angu-16.
Leli qembu elibekwe endaweni ka-108 emhlabeni lihlulwe ngo 1-0 lidlala ne-Equatorial Guinea lapho umgadli walo elimethembayo uKei Kamara ethole iphenalthi eyavinjwa ngomzuzu ka-84, waqeda amaphupho esizwe sakhe.
“Bekungahlosiwe ukuthi kube njalo. Amathemba aba phezulu kakhulu. Siphumelele kusenesikhathi, kodwa inkinga engcono le okufanele sibhekane nayo,” kusho uKeister.
Lowo owayengumdlali wasemuva we-Walsall uqashwe kabusha njengomqeqeshi weqembu lesizwe ukuze akhe kabusha uhlangothi lwebhola lezinyawo, afundise abadlali abancane ibhola.
I-Sierra Leone ibibheke kweye-Afcon 2023 njengoba ibifuna ukubuya ngayo kodwa ukungena esinyathelweni esisodwa ngaphambi kwalokho kwavutha amalangabi njengoba ibheke ukwenza okungcono ngonyaka ozayo emdlalweni yase-Ivory Coast.
Umthombo wesithombe: @SportsMole
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