Sport

Bafana squad headed for Germany

9 April 2010

Following a training tour of Brazil, after which Bafana Bafana coach Carlos Alberto Parreira described himself as "optimistic", a 25-man squad has been named for a World Cup training camp in Germany. They depart on 12 April and return on 30 April.

Parreira is aiming to build on the successes of the tour of Brazil, during which Bafana Bafana won five matches, drew three – including 1-1 against fellow World Cup finalists Paraguay – and lost only their last outing by two goals to one against Santos.

Addressing the media in Johannesburg on Thursday, Parreira said the door remains open for players who display tactical and social discipline to make the final World Cup squad.

Competitive

He said Bafana Bafana is now competitive tactically and physically, and added that the team has a found a style of its own.

"The Germany camp is getting closer to the World Cup," he said, "so we have to show some improvements as a team. We can't afford any retrogression, and as a result we have to improve further from our previous gains."

The squad for the German tour includes strikers Siyabonga Nomvete and Katlego Mphela. All eyes will be on the pair as goal-scoring has been South Africa's Achilles heel for some time now, and questions remain about the fitness of the country's all-time leading goal scorer Benni McCarthy.

Nomvethe has played 72 times for South Africa, but his last appearance was in 2007, so the inclusion of the 32-year-old came as something of a surprise. Although he has the advantage of international experience on his side, Nomvethe scored only six times for Moroka Swallows during the past Premier Soccer League season.

Top goal scorer

Mphela, meanwhile, had no problems finding the back of the net. He scored 17 of Mamelodi Sundowns' 43 league goals during the recently completed PSL season to top the league's goal scoring charts.

Three warm up matches against German teams have been lined up for South Africa on 20, 22, and 24 April. There will also be an international friendly against China on 28 April.

At the media briefing, the CEO of the South African Football Association Leslie Sedibe said the association is satisfied with the level of Bafana Bafana's World Cup preparations.

'A resounding success'

"The Brazil camp was a resounding success," he opined. "The coach and his technical team have achieved what they had set out to do in South America. We are glad that all the players have responded positively to the assignment.

"Germany is our next step and it presents us with an opportunity to take the team's preparations to another level," he added.

Earlier in the week, Parreira provided feedback on Bafana Bafana’s Brazilian experience. "It was a very positive outing. We learnt a lot during our time there," he explained.

"We played Brazilian teams who helped us in our mission to get our team where we wanted it to be. So I am very satisfied with the overall outcome, the future looks good.

Mental strength

"We trained a lot, travelled a lot and played almost everywhere and that is good for mental strength.

"The important thing for me was to get the fitness levels up to World Cup standards, and to give the team some shape as well," he added.

Looking ahead to the training camp in Germany, Parreira said: "Germany is the continuation of what we did in Brazil. We have organised three games there, but we will first start with intensive training like we did when we got to Granja Comary in Teresopolis.

"In Brazil, the confidence of the players on the ball improved tremendously and now I am positive that in our last two camps (Germany and South Africa) we can achieve more. The mental strength of the players is also high," he concluded.

GERMANY TRAINING CAMP SQUAD

Goalkeepers: Moeneeb Josephs, Itumeleng Khune, Shu-Aib Walters

Defenders: Mathew Booth, Innocent Mdledle, Siyabonga Sangweni, Siboniso Gaxa, Lucas Thwala, Siyanda Xulu, Bongani Khumalo and Thabo Nthethe

Midfielders: Surprise Moriri, Lance Davids, Andile Jali, Thanduyise Khuboni, Teko Modise, Lebohang Mokoena, Franklin Cale, Reneilwe Letsholonyane, Siphiwe Tshabalala, Gert Schalkwyk, Claasen Daylon, and Katlego Mashego

Strikers: Katlego Mphela and Siyabonga Nomvete

SAinfo reporter and BuaNews



	Some of the stars of Bafana Bafana's 2009 Fifa Confederations Cup campaign (from the left): Macbeth Sibaya, Bernard Parker, Tsepo Masilela, Steven Pienaar, captain Aaron Mokoena (obscured), and Teko Modise on the far right (Photo: 2010 Fifa World Cup South Africa Organising Committee)