South Africa’s preparations for the FIFA World Cup were disrupted by visa problems affecting members of the national football team delegation, prompting Sports...
South Africa’s preparations for the FIFA World Cup were disrupted by visa problems affecting members of the national football team delegation, prompting Sports Minister Gayton McKenzie to publicly demand answers from the South African Football Association (Safa) and call for accountability.
McKenzie said South Africa had been made to look “like fools” over the situation and questioned how the administrative problems had reached the stage of affecting the team’s travel plans ahead of one of football’s biggest international tournaments. He said action should be taken against those responsible.
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The minister made his comments after concerns emerged over delays involving travel documents for some players and officials. Safa later acknowledged that the national team had experienced challenges regarding visas but did not provide detailed information about the cause of the problem.
In a statement issued after the criticism, Safa said it was working continuously to ensure the team could travel to Mexico City as soon as possible before the opening stages of the tournament. The association did not outline how many individuals had been affected by the delays.
Earlier on Sunday, McKenzie wrote on social media that the travel and visa difficulties were embarrassing and unfair to both players and members of the coaching staff. His comments added public pressure as preparations continued behind the scenes to secure approvals and keep the team’s travel schedule on track.
Reports indicated efforts were made on Sunday to obtain United States visas for the South African delegation. The process involved support from the government’s international relations department as officials worked to resolve the matter before the team’s departure.
The visa requirements became important because Bafana Bafana will not only play matches in Mexico but will also travel to the United States during the tournament. South Africa’s second World Cup fixture is scheduled against the Czech Republic in Atlanta, Georgia, requiring players and staff to secure permission to enter the country.
By Sunday evening, McKenzie confirmed that progress had been made. He announced that all players had received permission to travel and that a chartered flight carrying the squad would depart on Monday. However, he said visas had still not been secured for the assistant coach, team doctor, head of security and one analyst.
National broadcaster SABC described the incident as an administrative bungle. Despite the disruption, preparations for competition continued as the team focused on upcoming fixtures and tournament readiness.
Bafana Bafana are scheduled to play Jamaica in a friendly match in Mexico on Friday. The match is expected to serve as the team’s final opportunity to prepare before opening their World Cup campaign against hosts Mexico on 11 June. Mexico is co-hosting the competition together with the United States and Canada.
South Africa is one of 10 African nations participating in the expanded 48-team World Cup. The tournament marks the country’s return to football’s biggest stage since last appearing at the finals in 2010 when South Africa hosted the competition.
The team enters the tournament after a difficult recent run of form. Their final home fixture ended in a goalless draw against Nicaragua and included a missed South African penalty. Some reports described the performance as disappointing and the result extended the team’s winless streak to four matches.
