MTHOKOZISI MNCUSENI
KUPHITHENE ikhanda kwabeMamelodi Sundowns ngenxa yokuba baningi kwabadlali bangaphandle ekubeni iPremier Soccer League (PSL) iphoqa amaqembu ukuba abhalise abadlali bangaphandle abangeqile kwabahlanu ngesizini.
Ngokwamarekhodi akamuva e-PSL, iSundowns, okuyiyona ewahola phambili wonke amaqembu adlala ku-Absa Premiership ngokubhalisa abadlali abaningi (34), isavale izikhala ezintathu kuphela kwezinhlanu ezivulelwe abadlali bangaphandle.
KusengoCuthbert Malajila noKudakwashe Mahachi bobabili baseZimbabwe noMame Niang waseSenegal kuphela abadlali bangaphandle ababhaliswe yiSundowns ku-PSL.
Inkinga ebhekene neSundowns wukuthi lezi zikhala ezimbili izozivala ngobani ngoba kusekhona uHichani Himonde oyisitobha saseZambia, Khama Billiat noNyasha Mushekwi bobabili baseZimbabwe, Rashid Sumaila waseGhana no-Ejike Uzoenyi waseNigeria.
Abazazi kangcono ezeSundowns bathi indawo kaBilliat ngeke iphazamiseke futhi uzobhaliswa uma eseluleme kahle onyaweni obelumhlupha nangesizini edlule bese kuba yinkinga ukukhetha kulaba abazosala.
USumaila ubeseBrazil koweNdebe yoMhlaba neqembu lesizwe laseGhana okuyisimo esifanayo naku-Uzoenyi naye obehambe neNigeria. Bobabili laba badlali kuvela ukuthi kunamaqembu abafunayo phesheya kwezilwandle.
UHimonde obebolekiswe kuFC Cape Town edlala kuNational First Division (NFD) ngesizini edlule angase abuyele khona njengoba noMakuka Mulenga waseZambia naye ebolekiswe kuBloemfontein Celtic. Omunye umdlali weSundowns wangaphandle ongase abolekiswe u-Emmanuel Mathias okuthiwa angase abuyele kwelakubo eZambia lapho ezodlalela khona i-Zesco United (abevele ebolekiswe kuyona ngesizini edlule). Okungacaci ngaye uMushekwi. Akwaziwa noma uPitso Mosimane ozovala ngaye indawo yesihlanu noma uzophinde ambolekise njengoba ubenzile ngesizini edlule.
Kuyona iSundowns kukhona nabanye abadlali abayisikhombisa abangebona abakuleli kodwa ngezizathu ezahlukene sebenobuzwe bakuleli. Laba ngoKennedy Mweene (Zambia), Glenn Verbauwhede (Belgium, ongabhalisiwe kuPSL), Alje Schut (Netherlands), Elias Pelembe (Mozambique), Esrom Nyandoro (Zimbabwe), Anthony Laffor (Liberia) noDenis Onyango (Uganda).
U-Alex Shakoane osenesikhathi esebenza kuSundowns uthe, isikhathi sisabavumela ukuthi badle amathambo engqondo ngakho-ke abalindwe baze bathathe isinqumo.