UKUNGATHOLI kweMamelodi Sundowns ithuba lokuphumula amasizini elandelana ngenxa yokwenza kahle kwiCAF Champions League kwenza umqeqeshi uPitso Mosimane aphakamise ukuthi i-Absa Premiership iqale ngoJanuwari kuya kuNovemba ukuze ihambise nekhalenda leCAF.
UMosimane ukusho lokhu ngemuva kokuthi iqembu lakhe likhale ngaphansi kwi-Esperance Tunis ngo 2-1 emdlalweni kaGroup C kwiChampions League. Bese kungokwesibili iSundowns ilahla amaphuzu ekhaya kulo mqhudelwano. Emdlalweni wokuqala yabanjwa yiSt George yase-Ethiopia ngo 0-0.
Ubephendula umbuzo othi ngabe ukwanda kwesibalo sabadlali bakhe abalimalayo kudalwa wungaphumuli yini. UMotjeka Madisha ulimalile emdlalweni we-Esperance. Izolo kuvele ukuthi ukaputeni weSundowns, uHlompho Kekana ulimele nokwenze wahoxiswa eqenjini lesizwe iBafana Bafana. Indawo yakhe ithathwe nguTiyani Mabunda naye osanda kubuya ekulimaleni.
“Kumele sikhethe ukuthi yini esiyifunayo. Njengamanje uhlelo lwethu alubasizi laba abadlala e-Afrika. Ukube kuya ngami ngabe ngibeka phambili iligi neChampions League. Ngabe iligi iqala ngoJanuwari kuphunyulwe ngoDisemba ngoba kungenjalo lezi zinto zizohlezi zishayisana,” kusho uMosimane oqale wathi akafuni ukuphawula ngalolu daba ngoba kuzothiwa akayihloniphi iligi yaseNingizimu Afrika.
Uthe iyamkhathaza nendaba yokuthi kunabadlali bakhe abakwiBafana Bafana.
“Ngikhathazekile manje ngoba nginabadlali abayisithupha abakwiBafana ngoba ngabe basebenzisa lesi sikhathi ukuphumula. Kodwa ayikho into engenziwa ngoba kufanele siwine eNigeria noma sithole umphumela ogculisayo.”
Empeleni bayisihlanu abadlali beSundowns abakwiBafana ezodlala neNigeria ngoMgqibelo kowokuhlungela i-Africa Cup of Nations - uMabunda, Tebogo Langerman, Percy Tau, Themba Zwane, noSibusiso Vilakazi.
Umdlalo olandelayo weSundowns kwiChampions League, ungoJuni 21 eStade Olympic de Rades, eTunisia. Uzolandelwa oweSt George osekuhambeni ngoJulayi 1. NgoJulayi 7 izobe isivala nge-AS Vita ekhaya.
Ngemuva kwemiphumela yangempelasonto, i-Esperance iqhwakele eqoqweni ngamaphuzu ayisikhombisa, iSt. George ingeyesibili ngamahlanu ngemuva kokushaya iVita ngo 1-0. ISundowns ikweyesithathu ngamane kuthi iVita iyibambe emsileni ngeqanda. Amaqembu amabili azoqeda ephezulu azodlulela kuma-quarterfinal.