Riaan 
Ukugcwala kwezihlalo ezingenalutho esiwombeni sesibili kufingqe isiqalo esidumazayo seqembu lebhola laseQatar eNdebeni yoMhlaba yokuqala ngqa.
Ubusuku buqale ngabalandeli abangaphezu kuka-67,000 iningi labo okungabalandeli be-Qatar abebegcwalise inkundla ye-Al Bayt Stadium, bejabulela umcimbi wokuvula obukhombisa i-Arab emirate kubabukeli bomhlaba wonke eminyakeni engu-12 ngemuva kokuwina ilungelo lokusingatha umcimbi omkhulu webhola likanobhutshuzwayo.
Kugcine ngokuthi iqembu laseQatar ebelidle ngobuningi liphume enkundleni, indawo ebingayifuni emlandweni kanobhutshuzwayo ivikelekile futhi abalandeli bayo abaningi abadumele kudala banyamalala.
Lo mqhudelwano okhungethwe yizinxushunxushu uvulwe ngeSonto lapho ompetha beNdebe yoMhlaba ka-2019 behlulwe ngo 2-0 yi-Ecuador, nokuqinisekisa ukuthi iqembu elibambe iqhaza lilahlekelwe umdlalo walo wokuqala ngqa kwiNdebe Yomhlaba.
“Ngingathi siphatheke kabi (kubalandeli bethu),” kusho umqeqeshi weQatar uFelix Sanchez. “Ngiyethemba emdlalweni olandelayo bazoziqhenya.”
Ukaputeni we-Ecuador u-Enner Valencia ushaye womabili amagoli eqembu lakhe esiwombeni sokuqala somdlalo wehlangothi olulodwa okugcine kuwumsebenzi wokukhawulela umonakalo weQatar ngobusuku obukhulu kakhulu emlandweni wezwe.
‘Okunye okukhombisa okubi kakhulu kwezwe elisingethe ukuvula umqhudelwano’
Lo mdlalo wenzeke ngemuva komcimbi wokuvula oyimizuzu engu-30 onemibalabala – obuqhutshwe phambili ngumlingisi owine i-Oscar uMorgan Freeman futhi obuhanjelwe yizicukuthwane ezinamandla okuhlanganisa neNkosana yoMqhele waseSaudi Arabia uMohammed bin Salman – ogqugquzele ukubandakanywa kanye nokuhlala kwesintu “ngaphansi kwetende elilodwa.”
Kwabaningi, lokho kungamangaza njengoba le Ndebe yoMhlaba isingethwe yizwe lamazwe lapho izenzo zobungqingili zingekho emthethweni, nokuyinto egxekwe kakhulu ngendlela abasebenzi bokufika abaphathwa ngayo ngokwakha izinkundla zemidlalo nengqalasizinda yomqhudelwano kusukela iQatar yanqoba ivoti eligubuzelwe ihlazo ngo-2010. .
Ukubhekisiswa kweminyaka bekungeke kume ngoba ukudlala enkundleni kugcine kungenile emlandweni womqhudelwano okhungethwe izingxabano zamalungelo abantu, nokho ukuwina kwezwe elizosingatha bekuzoyikhanyisela iQatar, ehlakaniphile kanobhutshuzwayo.
Esikhundleni salokho, abadlali beQatar, abasanda kuchitha izinyanga eziyisikhombisa bendawonye ekamu lokuzilolonga ngaphambi komqhudelwano ngaphansi kukaSanchez, babanda phambi kwesixuku ebesilindelwe kanye neqembu eliziqondisayo lase-Ecuador elingase libe yingozi kwabamelene nabo abasezingeni eliphezulu emasontweni ambalwa ezayo. .
“Lesi kumane kuyisiqalo seNdebe Yomhlaba,” kusho uValencia, 33, oseshayele i-Ecuador amagoli amahlanu okugcina eNdebeni yoMhlaba, okuhlanganisa namathathu ngo-2014. “Kufanele siqhubeke siphupha.”
Kulokho okungahle kwehle njengenye yemidlalo embi kakhulu eyenziwa yizwe elisingethe leli qembu ukuvula umqhudelwano, iQatar ibe namashodi amahlanu kulo mdlalo futhi akukho nelilodwa eliqondiswe kulo. Iqembu libe nokuthinta kabili kuphela ngaphakathi endaweni yokujeziswa kweqembu eliphikisayo.
Kalula nje, i-Ecuador ibiyinhle kakhulu eqenjini elidlala eNdebeni yoMhlaba kuphela ngoba iyona engosokhaya.
“Ngeke ngithi asinangqondo,” kusho uSanchez. “Ngingathi lokhu bekumayelana nokwethuka … mhlawumbe besinokungabaza okuningi kakhulu.”
Ngokulandelayo, iQatar izobheka ukubuyela emuva uma ibhekene neSenegal ngoLwesihlanu.
