Afirka ta Kudu sun rubuta sunayensu a cikin tarihi ta wurin isa matakin knockout na Gasar Duniya a karon farko — amma ga da yawa, wannan nasara tana ɗauke da ɗaci na dama da aka ɓata shekaru 16 da suka wuce.

Lokacin da Siphiwe Tshabalala ya harba ƙwallon ya sa Bafana Bafana gaba a kan Mexico a wasan buɗe fagen Gasar Duniya ta 2010 a ƙasarsu, wani mai sharhi na talabijin ya yi suna da cewa shi ne "burin dukan Afirka." Wannan lokaci ya ƙuna kwakwalwan nahiyar duka. Amma mafarkin ya karye: an fitar da Afirka ta Kudu ta hanyar bambancin ƙwallaye duk da kunantar 1-1 da kuma nasara kan France, suka zama ƙasa ta farko mai masaukin baki da ta kasa fita daga matakin rukunin.

Kwallon ƙafa ta shiga barci

Sakamakon ya wuce iyakar filin wasa. Mark Gleeson, ɗan jarida na wasanni da ke zaune a Cape Town, ya shaida BBC World Service cewa kwallon ƙafa ta Afirka ta Kudu ta shiga lokaci mai tsawo na raguwa bayan wannan gasar — ta farko da aka taɓa gudanar da ita a ƙasar Afirka.

"An sami babban farin ciki a cikin shirye-shiryen da kuma kusa da 2010, sannan komai ya mutu kaɗan, tare da koma bayan tattalin arziki," in ji Gleeson. "Ba a sami masu daukar nauyin wasannin gida da yawa ba. Ba a sami kudi mai yawo ba."

Afirka ta Kudu ta kuma rasa Kofin Nahiyar Afirka a shekaru 2012, 2017, da 2021 a wannan lokacin mai wahala. Amma yanayin ya fara canzawa. Mamelodi Sundowns sun lashe CAF Champions League a 2016 kuma sun maimaita nasarar a watan Mayu, yayin da Bafana Bafana suka tabbatar da cancantar Gasar Duniya sun gabaci Nigeria.

"Cancantar ƙungiyar ƙasa ta Gasar Duniya da nasarar Sundowns a Gasar Zakarun Afirka ya kasance ɗagawa mai girma ga ƙasar," in ji Gleeson. "Ina fatan wannan shine farkon sabon zamanin Afirka ta Kudu, watakila shekaru 16 bayan lokaci."

Broos ya dawo da imani

Yawancin yabo ya tafi ga kocin Hugo Broos. An nada shi bayan korar Molefi Ntseki bayan gazawar cancantar Afcon 2021. Wannan Ba-Belgiyam ɗin ɗan shekara 74 — wanda ya buga Gasar Duniya ta 1986 don Belgium kuma a baya ya jagoranci Cameroon zuwa gasar nahiyar a 2017 — ya sake gina tawagar daga ƙarshe.

Broos ya jagoranci Bafana Bafana zuwa matsayin uku a Afcon 2023 kafin ya kai su wannan Gasar Duniya. Duk da haka, hanyarsa ta taka-tsantsan ta fuskanci tsananin sukar bayan sun sha kashi 2-0 a hannun Mexico a wasan farko — adawa da abokin hamayyar 2010 ɗin nan ɗin — inda aka kori 'yan wasa biyu.

Afirka ta Kudu ta dawo ta yi kunantar da Czech Republic bayan sun kasance a baya, sannan ta doke South Korea don ɗaukar matsayin biyu a Rukuni A. Broos bai nuna nadama ba, yana mai cewa tawagar ta rufe bakunan "manyan bakunan" da suka yi kira da a canza.

Kyaftin da mai tsaron gida Ronwen Williams ya bayyana a fili: "Ya cancanci mutum-mutumin tunawa. Ya cancanci mafi girman godiya don imani da ya nuna wa wannan ƙungiya. Lokacin da muke daure da baya kuma mutane basu yarda da mu ba, shi koyaushe yana nan."

Tsohon kyaftin na ƙungiyar ƙasa Dean Furman, wanda ya kasance ɗaya daga cikin 'yan wasan da aka yi watsi da su lokacin da Broos ya karɓi ragama, ya yaba da wannan shawara da ya duba a baya. "Abu na farko da ya yi shi ne kawar da 'yan wasan da suka fi tsufa da kuma haɓaka ƙungiyar matasa," in ji tsohon ɗan tawayen tsakiya na Rangers da Oldham Athletic ga BBC Sport Africa. "Abin da ya yi da ƙungiyar — matsayin uku a Afcon, cancantar Gasar Duniya, isa knockout — ina tsammanin ya yi aiki mai ban mamaki."

Ƙungiyar da aka ƙarfafa

Furman ya kuma yabi Williams a matsayin "shugaba mai ban mamaki" don maido da yanayin sansanin bayan shan kashin Mexico. 'Yan wasa takwas a cikin tawagar sun fito daga Mamelodi Sundowns, tare da wasu takwas daga zakarun Orlando Pirates. Bakwai ne kawai daga cikin 26 da ke wasa a waje — adadi wanda Furman ya yi imanin yana nuna makomar haske ga kwallon ƙafa ta gida ta Afirka ta Kudu.

"Da wannan tawagar tana yin haka, za a ƙara kalli 'yan wasan Afirka ta Kudu kuma za a sami ƙarin damar shiga manyan gasar Turai," in ji shi. "Da Sundowns da ke cin Afirka, ina tabbata Pirates za su nemi yin haka shekara mai zuwa."

A tsakiyar waɗannan nasarori, Williams ya gayyaci magoya bayan nahiyar su ware saɓanin siyasa da zamantakewa su tallafi Bafana Bafana — ji da Furman ya amince da shi: "Duk da rikicin siyasa a ƙasar, ina fatan Bafana, a filin wasa, sun bai wa nahiyar ƙungiyar da za ta iya yin alfahari."

Canada suna jira a zagaye na 32

Afirka ta Kudu yanzu za su fuskanci Canada — haɓakakken ɗan farko a matakin knockout — a Los Angeles Stadium ranar Lahadi da 19:00 GMT. Canada sun rasa fa'idar filin gida bayan sun sha kashi a hannun Switzerland a wasansu na ƙarshe na rukunin, wanda ya mai da wannan wasa babbar dama ga Bafana Bafana.

"Dole ne ku yarda cewa wasan ne da Afirka ta Kudu ke da yuwuwar cin nasara," in ji Gleeson. "Ba zato ba tsammani, daga kasancewarsu a wajen sa'a, suna kallo mai yuwuwar wuri a zagaye na 16."

Broos, wanda ake tsammanin sosai zai yi ritaya daga horo bayan waɗannan gasar, ya ƙarfafa 'yan wasansa su ci gaba. "Za ku ga ƙungiyar da za ta gaskata kuma ta yi faɗa na mintuna 90, kuma fiye da idan mun buƙata," in ji shi. "Ya kamata ya zama tarihi fiye da kowane lokaci."