Picture: SAFA Chief Medical Officer, Dr Thulani Ngwenya
By OBAKENG MAJE
2 October 2025- The South African U20 Men’s National Team was visited by a familiar face in Chile after South African Football Association (SAFA) Chief Medical Officer Dr Thulani Ngwenya came to show his support for coach Ray Mdaka’s side. Ngwenya is serving as a Doping Control Officer (DOC) and Sample Collection for the duration of the FIFA Under-20 Men’s World Cup in Chile.
The well-respected SAFA official has once again been invited to serve as a Doping Control Officer at a major tournament and he is based in Rancagua, Chile, and the Estadio El Teniente is the main venue for his assignment. His duties are primarily focused on conducting in-competition and out-of-competition anti-doping controls, including sample collection.
The assignment will primarily be conducted at the venue, but it may also include travel to nearby training facilities, hotels or other locations, where players and teams are located, and where out-of-competition or no advance notice testing may also be required and directed.
Ngwenya’s experience in this area is rooted back to 2022, when he was appointed as the Doping Control Officer for the FIFA World Cup in Qatar. He was also appointed by FIFA as a Doping Control Officer for the FIFA Under-20 World Cup in Argentina in 2023.
Ngwenya was then awarded the same position during the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Cameroon in 2022.
The SAFA Chief Medical Officer frequently contributed his extensive expertise to FIFA, CAF, COSAFA, and recently this year, he was part of the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup in Seychelles from 26 April – 12 May 2025 and the FIFA Club World Cup in the United States of America from 17 June – 1 July 2025. Ngwenya remains a huge representative of SAFA and continues to fly the flag of the Association.
The South African Under-20 side was beaten 1-2 by France in their opening match of the tournament on Monday night and their next opponents will be debutants New Caledonia on Friday morning 3 October (1am South African time) 20h00 local time in Chile. It will be a battle of two teams who lost their opening games – New Caledonia were defeated 9-1 by the USA in a later kick-off.
The Guardian 