Minister Condemns 'Foolish' Visa Chaos Ahead of South Africa’s World Cup Departure

South Africa’s sports minister, Gayton McKenzie, has declared that the country was being "made to look like fools" following a visa-related delay that hindered the national football team’s travel to Mexico prior to the World Cup. McKenzie has formally requested an explanation from the South African Football Association (Safa) regarding the incident and insisted that "action must be taken against those responsible for this mess."

In response, Safa acknowledged that "challenges regarding visas for some players and officials" had occurred, though the association provided no further specifics. National broadcaster SABC characterized the incident as an "administrative bungle."

Despite the initial turmoil, McKenzie later confirmed that all players had secured travel permission and were scheduled to depart for the tournament on Monday. The national squad, known as Bafana Bafana, is set to play a friendly match against Jamaica in Mexico on Friday before facing co-hosts Mexico in their opening World Cup contest on June 11. The tournament is being jointly hosted by Mexico, the United States, and Canada.

Earlier on Sunday, McKenzie took to social media platform X to criticize the situation, writing: "This Safa travel & visa debacle is embarrassing & grossly unfair towards the players & coaching staff." In the wake of these comments, Safa issued a brief statement asserting that it was working "around the clock to ensure that the team travels to Mexico City as soon as possible ahead of the opening match."

According to the news outlet TimesLive, urgent efforts were underway on Sunday to secure visas for the United States. This step was critical because the Bafana Bafana squad and support staff require entry permission to play their second group-stage match against the Czech Republic in Atlanta, Georgia. The government’s international relations department also assisted in the resolution.

By Sunday evening, McKenzie reported that the efforts had largely succeeded, confirming that a chartered flight would depart on Monday carrying all the players. However, he noted that visas had not yet been obtained for four key support staff members: the assistant coach, the team doctor, the head of security, and one analyst.

South Africa is among ten African nations participating in the expanded 48-team World Cup. The upcoming friendly against Jamaica serves as the team’s final preparation opportunity before the tournament begins. The nation last hosted the World Cup in 2010.

Prior to the visa saga, the team’s final home fixture ended in a 0-0 draw against Nicaragua, a match marred by a missed penalty by a South African player. Some reports described the result as "disappointing," marking the fourth consecutive game in which the team failed to secure a win.

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Source: BBC News Generated at: 2026-05-31 17:27:18 UTC