Steve Elliot ba shi da nadama kwata-kwata game da tafiyarsa mai nisa don ganin ɗansa Callan ya buga mintuna 13 kawai na kwallon ƙafa — kuma zai sake yin haka ba tare da jinkiri ba.
Callan Elliot, mai kare raga wanda ya girma a Annan a kudancin Scotland kafin danginsa su ƙaura zuwa New Zealand sa'ad da yake kusa da shekara bakwai, ya samu wuri a cikin jerin sunayen All Whites don FIFA World Cup da aka gudanar a Amurka, Kanada, da Mexico.
Ya shigo filin wasa a matsayin mai maye gurbi na ƙarshe a wasan farko na ƙungiyar New Zealand a rukuni da Iran — wanda ya ƙare da 2-2 a SoFi Stadium a Los Angeles — yana maye gurbin Tim Payne a rabi na biyu. Wannan shi ne bayyanarsa guda ɗaya a gasar, yayin da All Whites suka fita a matakin rukuni.
Alfahari sama da komai
Steve da matarsa Susan sun yi tafiyar kilomita 10,500 daga Scotland zuwa California don halarta wannan wasan farko. 'Yan'uwa biyu na Callan ma suna cikin masu kallo a SoFi Stadium daren nan.
Steve ya ce: "Ko da yake ya buga mintuna 13 kawai, ya tsaya da kyau ƙwarai kuma kochinsa ya yabe shi, amma abin mamaki bai samu ƙarin lokacin wasa ba, wanda ya zama abin takaici domin mun ji ya cancanta — watakila ra'ayi ne mai son rai." Ya ƙara da cewa: "Dukkanmu mun yi alfahari da shi sosai."
Daren nan ya kuma taso da tunanin lokutan da suka wuce ga iyayensa. Steve ya ce: "Ya dawo da tunanin su suna buga kwallon ƙafa a lambun gidanmu a Brydekirk sama da shekaru 20 da suka wuce."
Filin wasa mai ban mamaki
SoFi Stadium ya bar ra'ayi mai ɗorewa a cikin dukan dangin. Steve ya ce: "Shi ne wasanmu na farko kuma yana da ban mamaki sosai — dalar Amurka biliyan 5 na tunanin an gina shi da shi, na zamani ƙwarai — tunawa mara manta." Ya kuma yabi BC Stadium a Vancouver, ko da yake ya ɗauke shi da cewa "bai kai matakin SoFi ba daidai."
An kuma bayyana yankunan magoya baya a matsayin "tsare-tsare masu ban sha'awa" da "suna da goyon baya mai yawa." Duk da haɗuwar alfahari, ƙwaɗayi, takaici, da takaicin rashin nasara, dangin Elliot za su sake yin wannan tafiya ba tare da tunani ba.
Yana ɗan shekara 26 kawai, Callan har yanzu yana da lokaci don barin alama mai girma a nan gaba. Mahaifinsa ya ce: "Ina tabbacin manufar Callan yanzu ita ce ya mallaki matsayin mai kare dama a cikin All Whites na shekaru huɗu masu zuwa aƙalla." Ya kammala da cewa: "Kuma idan allolin kwallon ƙafa sun yi mana farin ciki da Callan, ku shigar da mu don gasar ta gaba!"
