McKenzie secures partnership to send six axed Bafana players to World Cup opener

Sport, arts and culture minister Gayton McKenzie has secured a partnership tofly the six Bafana Bafana players dropped from Hugo Broos’s final squadto Mexico, ensuring they can watch South Africa’s opening match against the hosts on June 11. The six players — Brandon Petersen, Patrick Maswanganyi, Thabiso Monyane,Thapelo Morena, Lebohang Maboe and Brooklyn Poggenpoel — were devastated last week during a presidential dinner when they were cut from thehead coach’s official 26-man Fifa World Cup squad. McKenzie announced that South African clothing brand Old School has stepped in to fully sponsor the players’ travel and accommodation costs for the trip.

The minister said the six deserved to be at the World Cup as they were part of the team’s qualification journey. “These six men trained, sacrificed and prepared with the same dedication as every player in that squad,” McKenzie said. “They were part of this journey.

The margin between making the final cut and missing out on a World Cup is razor-thin, and it would be wrong for that margin to mean their contribution simply disappears. They deserve to be there, and they deserve to see what they helped build.” While Broos faced public backlash over how the exclusions were handled, McKenzie defended the coach, acknowledging that he had to make a tough decision. “Hugo Broos had to make impossible choices this week, and we accept this.

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It is the nature of sport; disappointment for some is the inescapable flip side of glory for others. But such choices should not be the last word on what these six men mean to Bafana Bafana and to this country. They remain part of the family.” McKenzie praised Old School for answering the call to support the players without hesitation.

“When I reached out to Old School, the answer was immediate,” he said. “That kind of response— standing by those who gave their best — is what South African sport looks like at its finest. I am deeply grateful to them.” The minister congratulated the final squad, expressing full confidence in their ability to make history.

“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.” In addition to supporting the players, the department of sport, arts and culture launched the “Mzansi to the World Cup” competition, which originally selected 20 passionate local soccer fans to travel to Mexico. This group included supporters from 16 Premier Soccer League (PSL) clubs, alongside four wildcard winners.

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