A shekarunta 69, Darla Tamulitis Kelly ta cimma burin da ya rage a cikin dogon tarihin aikinta na daukar hotuna na wasannin kwallon — rufe FIFA World Cup 2026™. Kuma hakan yana faruwa ne a garinsu Houston, Texas.

Tsawon kusan shekaru 50, Kelly ta gina aiki na ba da labaran wasanni ta hanyar kyamararta. Ta rufe Wasannin Olimpik, gasar NCAA, da tsere da dama na jami'o'i a fadin Amurka. Tare da mijinta Robert, tana gudanar da kafar watsa labaran wasanninsu tsawon shekaru fiye da 30 — shi yana rubutu, ita tana daukar hotuna.

Bayan daukar hotuna, Kelly ta sadaukar da shekaru 47 wajen koyarwa da horar da 'yan wasa a wata makarantar sakandare a Pasadena, Texas. Tana shirin barin aji a karshen karatun shekara mai zuwa, ko da yake ba ta son kalmar "ritaya" — tana kiran sa "kammala karatu" nata. "Ni daidai yake da yaro don in zauna a barikin gona kamar wani tsoho," in ji ta da dariya.

Houston, garinsu, a zuciyar bikin duniya

Kelly tana daukar hotuna na Houston Dynamo tun lokacin kafuwar kulob din, kuma ta shaida karuwar shahararren kwallon kafar a birnin. Don haka, a gareta, Houston ta karbi bakuncin FIFA World Cup yana da ma'ana ta musamman. "Ina son wannan sosai," in ji ta. "Ganin mutane daga ko'ina a duniya suna jin daɗi sosai — abu ne mai kyau gaskiya."

A gare ta Kelly, Kofin Duniya ya wuce sakamako na wasan kawai. Yanayin a gidan wasanni da musayar al'adu tsakanin magoya baya daga kasashe daban-daban shi ne abin da ke ci gaba da kunna sha'awarta. "Mu a nan Texas, muna so mu bi da kowa da kyau. Muna da kyakkyawan maraba," in ji ta. "Na ji cewa baƙin bana na isowa suna jin daɗi kuma suna son Texas."

Ronaldo, Messi, da ƙaunar wasa

Lokacin da ya fi burge ta a gasar har yanzu shine burin farko na Cristiano Ronaldo na Portugal a kan Uzbekistan. "Ya yi kama da fuskarsa ta haskaka, kamar yana gaya mana duka: 'Na dawo. Ina nan: kada ku yi min watsi.'"

Daidai irin waɗannan lokutan ne ke ci gaba da kunna sha'awarta ta daukar hotuna na wasanni. "Na san shi da Lionel Messi ana biyansu kuɗi mai yawa. Na san haka. Amma a zuciyarsu, su matasa ne da ke buga wasa da zuciya da ƙaunar gaske."

Daga cikin 'yan wasan da take matukar son ta yi magana da su shi ne mai tsaron ragar Mexico Guillermo Ochoa, wanda ta fara ɗaukar hotunansa lokacin da yake matashi. Tana ci gaba da ganin sa a wasannin ƙasa da ƙasa a Houston. "Kullum yana kallona ya yi murmushi," in ji ta da murmushi, tana yin barkwanci cewa Ochoa dole ne ya gane ta "domin gashi fari ya yi wuya a rasa."

Wacce take tsammanin za ta lashe

Ko da yake zuciyarta tana tare da Netherlands — da aka fitar da su — sakamakon asalinta na Dutch, Kelly tana ganin France ce da fi yiwuwa lashe taken. Ita ma za ta yi farin ciki sosai idan USA ta ɗauki kofin. Amma a ƙarshe, abin da ya fi muhimmanci a gare ta ba wanda ya lashe ba — ita ce shaidai labarun yayin da suke faruwa da kuma rikodin waɗannan lokutan masu saurin wucewa. Ko bayan "kammala karatunta", wannan malama, mai horarwa, da mai sha'awa tsoho ba ta bayyana za ta saka kyamara a wannan lokaci ba.