Following another blunder by Safa over Bafana’s visas, which sports minister Gayton McKenzie called “embarrassing”, we look at some of the high-profile bungles by the association’s notoriously incompetent administration:
2010: In the buildup to the Fifa World Cup, which SA hosted, Safa failed to secure a dedicated training base for the team. Bafana were ultimately the last country participating in the tournament, despite being the host nation, to secure a training base, with Wits University assisting the team.
2022: Safa failed to book Dobsonville Stadium as a training venue for an international friendly camp against Sierra Leone and Botswana. Head coach Hugo Broos arrived to find unmarked pitches and locked facilities, forcing a total cancellation of training, something blamed on team manager Vincent Tseka.
2023: Ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations, Safa failed to book the High Performance Centre in Pretoria in time, forcing the squad to relocate to Stellenbosch for their preparations.
2025: Safa failed to pick up that midfielder Teboho Mokoena was suspended against Lesotho on March 21, due to yellow cards. Fifa penalised Bafana, resulting in a 0-3 forfeiture and a fine of around R200,000. The episode became known as the “Teboho Mokoena Gate” and could well have denied Bafana a World Cup spot. − Neville Khoza
