SOUTH AFRICA WORLD CUP SQUAD DELAYED AFTER VISA ISSUES, SET TO DEPART MONDAY AHEAD OF OPENING MATCH IN MEXICO CITY . (PHOTO).

 South Africa World Cup squad delayed after visa issues, set to depart Monday ahead of opening match in Mexico City 

South Africa’s World Cup squad has delayed its departure after visa issues disrupted travel plans, with the team now set to leave Monday following last-minute efforts to resolve the problem.

The national soccer body confirmed the change after the squad was originally scheduled to depart Sunday but was unable to do so because some players and support staff had not yet secured U.S. visas.

South Africa will open its World Cup campaign on June 11 against co-host Mexico in Mexico City and is also set to play a group-stage match in the United States.

Sports officials said the visa delay stemmed from an administrative error involving team management. Sports Minister Gayton McKenzie publicly criticized the situation, calling it embarrassing and demanding a formal report from the South African Football Association. He said the situation was making the country “look like fools.”

The federation later confirmed that visas had been issued for all players, though four members of the support staff — including an assistant coach, team doctor, head of security and analyst — were still awaiting approval. Officials said they were working urgently to complete the process so the entire delegation could board a charter flight from Johannesburg.

The federation apologized for the disruption and said it had received assistance from the South African Foreign Ministry and U.S. consular officials to help resolve the matter. An emergency meeting was also held as officials worked to finalize travel arrangements.

The delay comes amid increased scrutiny of the team’s management following earlier controversy during World Cup qualifying, when South Africa was penalized after fielding an ineligible player in a match against Lesotho. Despite that setback, the team still managed to top its qualifying group by a narrow margin.

South Africa will be returning to the World Cup for the first time since hosting the tournament in 2010. In Group A, the team will also face the Czech Republic in Atlanta and South Korea in Monterrey, Mexico.