Safa scores another own goal in Bafana Bafana visa bungle

The teams do their job on the field; the SA Football Association (Safa) sabotages it in the boardroom. It’s a story as old as South African football itself. The federation’s legacy of dysfunction spans from bitter bonus disputes ahead of major tournaments to Banyana Banyana being expected to play on a sub-par pitch ahead of a Fifa World Cup appearance. Now, Bafana Bafana’s World Cup plans are the latest casualty of the national soccer federation’s incompetence.

South Africa’s senior men’s national team was scheduled to leave the country on Sunday, 31 May. However, an administrative visa blunder grounded the squad, preventing them from travelling to Pachuca, Mexico, to set up their 2026 Fifa World Cup training camp. The team was supposed to board a charter flight to Mexico City before making their way to the base.

SABC Sport broke the news of the travel halt on Sunday, reporting that at least 20 members of the travelling contingent — the majority of whom are players — were still waiting for their visas to be processed at the United States embassy in Johannesburg.

It was a shambolic unfolding of events, to say the least. In response to yet another administrative bungle on its part, Safa issued a vague statement: “The South African senior men’s national team has experienced challenges regarding visas for some players and officials. As a result, the group could not travel to North America this morning (31 May) as originally planned.

“Safa is working around the clock to ensure that the team travels to Mexico City as soon as possible ahead of the opening match of the global tournament against the hosts Mexico at the Estadio Azteca on 11 June, 2026.

“We remain committed to ensuring that the team’s preparations for the tournament remain on track, and in the meantime, Bafana Bafana will continue to train in Johannesburg until departure.”

This is not the first time Safa’s administrative ineptitude has tripped up Bafana Bafana’s World Cup dream. A year ago, Bafana Bafana were stripped of points by Fifa following an administrative bungle that saw them field a suspended Teboho Mokoena during the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. The South Africans were docked three points from their victory over Lesotho, in which Mokoena had played illegally. A year later, Safa finds itself scrambling to save face.

The deputy minister of sport, arts and culture, Peace Mabe, said Safa’s latest debacle was “shocking and embarrassing”.

“Heads must definitely roll. It’s an administrative issue. If junior officials are not accounting to you as seniors, then it shows that there is no leadership. The centre is not holding,” Mabe told eNCA.

“Safa must be open and tell us what their challenges are. Are they friends with their juniors? We want to know what has led to this. We are not happy. We want accountability. If it means people must be fired, especially those responsible for this, let it be.”

Update

Sport Minister Gayton McKenzie has since offered a social media update on the matter, saying, “All Bafana Bafana players received their visas to travel to the US. Outstanding is [the] assistant coach, team doctor, head of security and one analyst. The charter will leave tomorrow [1 June].”

Regardless, this is sure to dent the confidence of the team ahead of its quest to qualify for the World Cup knockout phase for the first time. Meanwhile, in the boardroom, it’s another blemish for Safa’s administration under its fraud-accused president, Danny Jordaan. DM