Parreira: Next coach of Bafana?
Brad Morgan
20 July 2006
Will former World Cup winning coach Carlos Alberto Parreira become the next coach of Bafana Bafana? According to the man himself, the answer is "yes".
Parreira, who led Brazil at the recent 2006 World Cup in Germany, resigned from the post recently after the World Cup favourites were eliminated in the quarter-finals by France.
In an interview with the Estado de Sao Paulo newspaper, Parreira described taking over as coach of South Africa's national team as "a serious thing, a really serious thing."
Huge salary
It was reported that the South African Football Association (Safa) first approached Parreira before the recent World Cup, offering him a huge salary of over R1-million a month!
Speaking about his decision to resign as coach of the five-time world champions, he said it was impossible to stay on as coach of Brazil because the demands of the job are intense, especially since Brazil is a recognized
world power, if not the power in the game.
Regardless, R1-million a month is a pretty good reason to give up the coaching reins.
Take charge in 2007
According to reports coming out of Brazil, Parreira would take over as coach of Bafana Bafana at the beginning of 2007 and continue on until after the 2010 World Cup. The event will be hosted by South Africa, making the Rainbow Nation the first country in Africa to host football's greatest spectacle.
Parreira, who also won the World Cup as a player in 1970, has a proven track record with teams all around the world.
He has had three stints in charge of Brazil during which time he won the World Cup in 1994. Recently, in 2005, he led the Brazilians to victory in the Confederations Cup in Germany.
In 1998, in France, he coached Saudi Arabia at the World Cup. They finished bottom of Group C, which included the eventual winners, France, as well as Denmark and South
Africa.
Drew against Bafana Bafana
The match against Bafana Bafana ended in a two-all draw, with South Africa needing a goal deep into extra time by Shaun Bartlett to salvage a share of the spoils.
In 1994, he was in charge of the United States at the World Cup. They exited the tournament in the round of 16, losing one-nil to Brazil, who went on to win the trophy.
Four years prior to that, Parreira led the United Arab Emirates to the World Cup finals in Italy. Up against eventual winners West Germany, Yugoslavia, and Colombia in Group D, the UAE failed to win a game.
Way back in 1982 he helped tiny Kuwait to the World Cup finals. They played against England, France and Czechoslovakia in Group D, managing a draw against the Czechs, but losing to the English and French.
World Cup finals experience
So, if South Africa wants a coach who has World Cup finals experience, who won't be overawed
on the greatest stage of them all, and who has a record of been there, won that, then Carlos Alberto Parreia is the answer.
The South African Football Association's announcement of the new coach of Bafana Bafana had been scheduled for 13 July but it was postponed. Now, it seems that, especially in light of his recent resignation as coach of Brazil, Carlos Alberto Parreira will be the man in charge.
He'll be given the task of helping South Africa put on a decent showing at the 2010 World Cup.
In light of the nation's decline to seventy-second in the most recent FIFA world rankings, his task will not be an easy one.
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