SA Sports Minister Gayton McKenzie quietly welcomed Bafana Bafana back to South Africa after their Afcon exit, contrasting with their previous hero’s welcome, and clarified that he self-funded his trip to support them in Morocco. Photo: Michael Sherman/IOL SA Sports MinisterGayton McKenzieensured he was front and centre as he welcomedBafana Bafanaback to South Africa after theirAfrica Cup of Nations(Afcon) exit, at a virtually emptyOR Tambo International, on Wednesday morning. It was in stark contrast to when Bafana were greeted with a hero’s welcome after the previous edition in which they claimed the bronze medal at Afcon, and the international arrivals hall was crammed with thousands of supporters.
This time Bafana crashed out in the Round of 16 as they lost 2-1 to Cameroon over the weekend, and there was hardly a supporter in sight. This time McKenzie would not have required his security detail to safely navigate the crowds, but instead walked up quietly to the team as they came out. Just for good measure, McKenzie was clad in a South African flag as he personally welcomed all the Bafana staff and team members as they arrived.
McKenzie was seen in the crowd at Bafana’s match at Agdal Medina Stadium, in Rabat, on Sunday. It prompted questions of whether or not he was there officially and whether the SA government paid for his trip. He clarified on Sunday that he paid his way to support Bafana: “I am on leave and on vacation in Dubai with my kids.
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I paid for my own flight ticket, hotel, and car rental to come and support the team today in Morocco. I am leaving again tomorrow morning.” McKenzie also criticised Bafana’s performance in the wake of their loss to Cameroon. “Missing a clear goal is understandable, but missing multiple clear goals is inexcusable at this level.
Bafana Bafana should have wrapped this game up in the first half. We still love you boys, but learn from this [because you are] going to a bigger stage soon,” McKenzie said.
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