South Africa’s World Cup squad departed for the tournament a day late on Monday, leaving its assistant coach behind due to delays in securing United States travel visas.
The national team is scheduled to play co-host Mexico in the tournament's opening match on June 11 in Mexico City. Because South Africa will also play a group stage match on American soil, the traveling contingent required US transit and entry documents.
The squad was initially scheduled to fly out on Sunday. However, the flight was grounded because several players and staff members had not yet received their visas, according to the country's sports ministry.
Sports Minister Gayton McKenzie heavily criticized the local football body on social media, calling the visa bottleneck an "embarrassing" administrative blunder. He has demanded an immediate, official report from the South African Football Association (SAFA).
"We are being made to look like fools," McKenzie wrote on X (formerly Twitter), expressing his frustration over the logistical failure.
SAFA confirmed on Monday that visas for all players were eventually secured, allowing the team to leave Johannesburg on a chartered flight on Monday afternoon.
However, SAFA President Danny Jordaan revealed that assistant coach Helman Mkhalele was left behind. The US Consulate initially refused his visa without providing a clear reason, and his travel documents remain outstanding. Head of security Mdu Mbatha was also among the officials awaiting clearance.
"We hope that will also be resolved and all of our people will be going," Jordaan told reporters at OR Tambo International Airport. SAFA apologized for the 24-hour delay, acknowledging emergency assistance from the South African Foreign Ministry and the US Consulate in Johannesburg to partially clear the backlog.
This tournament marks South Africa’s first World Cup appearance since hosting the event in 2010. Competing in Group A, they face the Czech Republic in Atlanta and South Korea in Monterrey, Mexico. The squad will set up its training base in the Mexican city of Pachuca, where they are scheduled to play a final warmup match against Jamaica this Friday.
This is not the first time SAFA's management has faced scrutiny over administrative issues. During the World Cup qualifying rounds, team management mistakenly fielded midfielder Teboho Mokoena against Lesotho while he was under suspension. South Africa was subsequently stripped of that victory, which severely jeopardized their qualification hopes before they ultimately recovered.
