Dylan Bettencourt
Amathemba okuvuselelwa kwebhola e-Liberia aqala ngesikhathi umdlali webhola wase-Afrika omkhulu uGeorge Weah eba uMengameli ngo-2018.
Kodwa ngemuva kweminyaka emine efungisiwe ibhola kusayinto ebekwe eceleni njengoba uWeah ebhekene nomnotho ontengantengayo, inkohlakalo, ukuguqulwa kwezemfundo nokunakekelwa kwezempilo kanye nokuntuleka kwemisebenzi.
Njengokuphela komuntu wase-Afrika owine i-Balon D’Or ethandwayo, uWeah wenza izakhamuzi zikholelwe ukuthi ibhola lesizwe lazo lizoqina kakhulu. Abalandeli balo mdlali oneminyaka engu-55 ubudala basakholelwa ukuthi ibhola belizosimama kakhulu ukube bekungengenxa yezinkinga ezinkulu ezikhungethe izwe.
“Uhulumeni unezinye izinto ezibalulekile njengezemfundo, umkhakha wezempilo onenselelo phakathi kokunye,” kusho umqondisi wezobuchwepheshe we-Liberia Football Association (LFA) uHenry Browne etshela i-BBC Sport Africa.
“Ngeminyaka yango-1980 kanye nango-1990 zonke izinhlaka zikahulumeni zazifaka imali ebholeni, okuyinto engekho manje.”
UBrowne wengeze ngokuthi nakuba uhulumeni egxile kakhulu kweminye imikhakha ezemidlalo kufanele zinikezwe ukwesekwa okwengeziwe.
“Sisalele emuva mayelana noxhaso olwanele lwezimali kukhulu okulindelwe kuhulumeni kweminye imikhakha, kodwa ngicabanga ukuthi kumele andise ukwesekwa kwakhe ukuze siqale ukuncintisana.”
Abantu base-Liberia babelindele ukuthi uWeah aphumelele njengoMengameli njengoba enza enkundleni yebhola.
Lo mgadli wazakhela igama ku-Paris Saint-Germain ne-AC Milan ngaphambi kokudlalela kafushane i-Manchester City ne-Chelsea.
Nakuba uWeah eke wahlaselwa impi yombango ngeminyaka yango-1990 wahola i-Liberia emiqhudelwaneni emibili ye-Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) ngo-1996 nango-2002.
Sekuphele iminyaka engamashumi amabili impela i-Liberia yadlala emqhudelwaneni omkhulu isimo sebhola siya ngokuba sibi kakhulu.
Izinkundla eziningi ezweni lonke zithathwe njengezingafanele ukusingatha imidlalo yamazwe omhlaba ngoNcwaba odlule kanti neqembu lesizwe lingenaye umphathi mancane amathemba okuthi likwazile ukungena ku-Afcon elandelayo.
I-Liberia iseqoqweni ne-Morocco nelakuleli njengoba isivele ihlulwe emdlalweni wayo wokuqala ne-Morocco izwe kuzomele linqobe iBafana Bafana uma linethemba lokubuyela emqhudelwaneni wezwekazi lase-Afrika.
Umthombo wesithombe: @TheTimesOfIsrael