Johannesburg, June 30 -- South African Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture Gayton McKenzie has hailed the country's national team for reaching the FIFA World Cup knockout stage for the first time, despite a 1-0 defeat to Canada in Sunday's round of 32.
In a statement, McKenzie described the team's run as "the most extraordinary chapter in the history of South African football," noting that it marked the country's best-ever World Cup performance after group-stage exits in 1998, 2002 and 2010.
"These young men did what no South African team has ever done before. They made it through, and that is not a small thing. That is history that can't be erased, written in the gold and green on the world stage in front of billions of people," he said....