zulu.1093.burton
BONA ZULU – April 2007
579
indaba nguMARK GLEESON
izithombe ngabeGETTY IMAGES/GALLO IMAGES
LO mdlali wasemumva oneminyaka engu-38 u-Edries Burton usewaphanyeka ethala amakhokho akhe.
U-Burton usaliphula kudala irekhodi laseSouth Africa lokudlala emidlalweni yeLigi neyeziNdebe zemiqhudelwano nokuyimidlalo engu-511 - nokuyirekhodi elaliphethwe nguNeil Tovey, kanti kubhekeke lesi sibalo sicishe sifinyelele ku-600 lapho kufika isikhathi sokuphela kwesizini.
Ekupheleni kukaFebruary wayesedlale imidlalo engu-579 kodwa futhi ngeshwa wahlaliswa ebhentshini leSantos ngaleyo ndlela lesi sibalo sangakwazi ukukhuphuka njengoba umqeqeshi weSantos u-Roger de Sa ethanda ukudlalisa abadlali abasebasha, abanye babo abaneminyaka cishe enguhhafu kweka-Burton.
Bekunzima kulo mdlali ongowokudabuka eCape Town ukuba akwazi ukumelana nesizukulwane esisha njengoba esesondele ekutheni agubhe iminyaka engu-40 azalwa kodwa futhi lokhu ubekuhlanganisa nokuba yisikhulu esiphezulu (chief executive officer) sekilabhu.
Nakuba esezothatha umhlalaphansi, kodwa uthi kusekukhulu angakwenza.
“Ngisengazenza izimanga kanti ngisayomele nempumelelo,” kusho yena emva kokudlala amasizini angu-17 ebholeni elikhokhelayo.
U-BURTON waqala ukudlalela iSantos kwiFederation Professional League. Emva kokuhlanganiswa ndawonye, iSantos yakhushulelwa kuNSL nokuyilapho u-Burton adlala umdlalo wakhe wokuqala ngokusemthethweni ngo-1992.
Ngo-1994 wayishiya iSantos wadlalela iCape Town Spurs okungomakhelwane bayo amasizini amabili wayisiza yawina isicoco ngo-1995.
Ozakwabo ekilabhini ngaleso sikhathi babandakanya u-Andre Arendse, Shaun Bartlett, David Modise noDavid Nyathi, bonke ababengabadlali ababevamile ukuqala imidlalo yeBafana kule minyaka eyedlule.
Ngaleso sikhathi wayesekuMazulu iminyaka emithathu ngaphambi kokuba abuyele emumva kwiSantos ngo-1998. Ngo-2002 wanqobisa leli qembu laseKapa isicoco engukapteni waleli qembu lisaqeqeshwa ngu-Gordon Igesund.
Akholelwa kukhona kulula kakhulu: “Abadlali bebhola akufanele basebenzele ukuba baqaliswe umdlalo nokuba bathole isheke ekupheleni kwenyanga. Kufanele benze okungaphezu kwalokho… ngaphezu kwakho konke, bomele impumelelo.”
I-SANTOS yambona uBurton eneminyaka engu-14 nokuchaza ngokusobala ukuthi ukuzibandakanya kwakhe ne “People’s Team” kucishe kucele eminyakeni engamashumi amabili nanhlanu. U-Burton waphinde wadlalela izwe lakhe izikhathi ezimbili nokuyiziqubu ezenzeka ngesikhathi seminyaka emihlanu ngokwehlukana.
Waqale wathathwa nguClive Barker ngesikhathi somqhudelwano weFour Nations eThekwini ngo-1996 kanti umdlalo wakhe wokuqala wawudlala iBafana ibhekene neKenya nokungumdlalo futhi lowo uQuinton Fortune naye adlalela iBafana okokuqala ngqa.
Emva kwaleyo sizini kwiSantos ngesikhathi bewina isicoco sePSL ngo-2002, uBurton waphinde wabizelwa kwiBafana eseneminyaka engu-33 edlala emdlalweni wobungani ne-Ecuador ebizwa wuJomo Sono. Ekugcineni uBurton akazange abizelwe ukuya kwiWorld Cup eSouth Korea nakuba wayelidlalela izwe lakhe.
Okunye okwamphoxa kakhulu, kwaba yisikhathi sakhe asichitha ekilabhini yaseThekwini AmaZulu eyayibophele izihlabani zodwa ngaleso sikhathi kodwa yangawina sicoco.
“Akuzange kungisize, ngase ngilibamba ngazo zombili ithuba lokuba ngibuyele eCape Town nakuba zaziziningi izicelo ezaziphuma emakilabhini aseGoli,” kusho uBurton.
Ngesizini yakhe yokuqala ebuyile, iSantos yaqeda iphakathi nendawo kwiLigi.
“Kumnandi ukuba phakathi kwabangani, abantu engikhule nabo,” kusho u-Edries Burton. “Angizisoli ngokuphinde ngijoyine ngoba impilo yami ikuSantos. Uma abantu becabanga ngeSantos, bacabanga ngo-Edries Burton.”[z]
izikhathi edlala kwiLigi - usaqhubeka
Dlalelani
UKUWINA
Uma abantu becabanga ngeSantos bacabanga ngo-Edries Burton. Njengamanje lesi sihlabani esesikhulile sesizothatha umhlalaphansi - kodwa ngeke sihambele kude nenkundla yebhola…
BONA ZULU – April 2007
KWESOBUNXELE: Nakuba eneminyaka engu-39, kodwa u-Burton usazenza izimanga enkundleni.
u
102 BONA ZULU – April 2007
“Ngisashisa bhe, kanti nempumelelo ngisayomele,” kusho u-Edries emva kwamasizini angu-17 edlala ibhola elikhokhelayo.
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Ngalibamba ngazo zombili ithuba lokubuyela eCape Town
“Kumnandi ukuba phakathi kwabangani, abantu engikhule nabo,” kusho u-Edries Burton ngokubuyela kwakhe kwi-Santos.
