The South African Football Association [SAFA] have established a three-member organising committee to manage Bafana Bafana’s administrative affairs during the 2026 FIFA World Cup following the embarrassing visa debacle.
South Africa delayed their departure to Mexico by a day after they were unable to travel due to visa issues. The squad will now leave on Monday, 1 June, following government intervention.
The SA Football Association held an emergency Committee Meeting on Sunday night, 31 May 2026, during which the visa issue, among other matters, was discussed.
In a statement issued on Monday morning, SAFA announced that the squad will depart on Monday. They also confirmed that Head of Delegation David Molwantwa, Mxolisi Sibam and Team Manager Vincent Tseka will form part of the three-member team for the World Cup.
A THREE-MEMBER TEAM ESTABLISHED TO ASSIST WITH BAFANA BAFANA ADMINISTRATION
“It was revealed in the meeting that the only outstanding visas are for four members of the camp. However, SAFA is working closely with the relevant authorities to ensure that they also board the flight to North America,” said SAFA in a statement.
“To strengthen operational coordination during the FIFA World Cup, SAFA can further reveal that a three-member organising committee has been established to manage the team’s administrative affairs during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, comprising of: Bafana Bafana Head of Delegation (HOD) David Molwantwa, SAFA Chairperson of the Finance Committee Mxolisi Sibam, together with the Team Manager Vincent Tseka.
“The three will work together in ensuring that any logistical or administrative matters that may arise during the global tournament are dealt with expeditiously.
“While the visa delays resulted in the team losing a valuable day in its travel and preparation schedule, SAFA is satisfied that the matter has now been substantially resolved and that the team’s World Cup plans remain firmly on course.”
SAFA OFFICIALLY APOLOGISE FOLLOWING THE EMBARRASSING VISA SAGA
“SAFA apologises to the nation for these unexpected travel delays and would like to thank the Department of International Relations and Cooperation [DIRCO] for their assistance, as well as the US Consulate in Johannesburg who went beyond their call of duty over the weekend to ensure that the visas were issued for all our players to travel,” they added.
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