14/06/2026
South Africa's Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture Gayton McKenzie made has responded to widespread reports of Africans expressing their support for Mexico during Bafana Bafana's opening 2026 FIFA World Cup match against co-hosts Mexico on June 11 in Mexico City, where South Africa lost 2-0.
South Africa has faced rising anti-illegal immigrant protests and unrest in recent weeks and months. Thousands of protesters across the country are calling for action against undocumented migrants mostly from countries including Nigeria, Ghana, Zimbabwe, Malawi and Mozambique. Protesters set a June 30 deadline for undocumented foreigners to leave.
Many fans across Africa, especially online from Nigeria and Ghana, openly supported Mexico against Bafana Bafana as a form of protest. McKenzie's quote pushes back by saying South Africa had zero expectations of automatic continental support.
Since most African nations did not qualify for the World Cup, their fans are free to support any team. It frames the criticism as irrelevant to the on-pitch result and dismisses the linkage to the immigration protests.