Minister of Sport, Gayton McKenzie, has vowed to send the six excluded Bafana players to the FIFA World Cup, despite not making coach Hugo Broos’s cut.
This comes as the rest of the 26-man squad’s travel to the tournament has been delayed due to visa issues.
The national team are set to play the opening match against Mexico on 11 June.
GAYTON MCKENZIE VOWS TO SEND EXCLUDED SIX TO WORLD CUP
Over the weekend, Gayton McKenzie announced that the Department of Sport had partnered with South African sportswear brand Old School to send the six excluded Bafana players to the FIFA World Cup
The collaboration would cover the travel and accommodation costs and allow the players to join the rest of the squad, despite being out of play.
The six players – Brandon Petersen, Patrick Maswanganyi, Thabiso Monyane, Thapelo Morena, Lebohang Maboe and Brooklyn Poggenpoel – will watch the team play their opening Group A match against co-hosts Mexico at the iconic Estadio Azteca on 11 June.
Gayton said in a statement: “These six men trained, sacrificed and prepared with the same dedication as every player in that squad. They were part of this journey. The margin between making the final cut and missing out at a World Cup is razor-thin. It would be wrong for that margin to mean that their contribution simply disappears. They deserve to be there, and they deserve to see what they helped build.”
The Minister of Sport acknowledged that Bafana coach Hugo Broos was tasked with an “impossible choice” in selecting 26 men to travel to the FIFA World Cup.
He continued: “It is in the nature of sport because disappointment for some is the inescapable flip side of glory for others.Â
“We go to Mexico as one nation. There will be 26 deserving players in the squad and six more equally special ones in the stands. All of them are Bafana Bafana. On that day, all 60 million of us will be Bafana Bafana.”
VISA WOES FOR BAFANA SQUAD
Meanwhile, Gayton McKenzie has chastised the South African Football Association (SAFA) for the administrative errors behind the visa issues that have halted Bafana’s trip to
The FIFA World Cup squad were set to depart for Mexico on a chartered flight on early Sunday morning, but were grounded over the team “experienced challenges regarding visas for some players and officials”
On his X account, the minister posted: “This travel and visa debacle is embarrassing and grossly unfair towards the players and coaching staff. I have informed @SAFA_net that I need a report, and action must be taken against those responsible for this mess”.
He added: “We are being made to look like fools”.