18 August 2006

The South African Football Association (Safa) has confirmed that former Brazilian coach Carlos Alberto Parreira will take over as coach of SA's national team, Bafana Bafana, through to the 2010 Fifa World Cup.

Addressing the media on Thursday, Safa CEO Raymond Hack said the 63-year-old, who took Brazil to World Cup victory in 1994, would officially start his job on 1 January 2007.

Parreira has not yet signed a legally binding contract. Having signing a pre-contract statement of intent, he has subsequently signed a commitment in the form of a statement released on Thursday by Safa expressing his happiness to coach Bafana.

African Cup qualifiers
Hack said Parreira would be in South Africa for the first week of September, during which time he would assist Bafana Bafana ahead of their first 2008 African Cup of Nations qualifier against Congo.

In the same week, the coach-in-waiting will meet with the national association to review his strategy and advise South Africans about his aims and programmes through media briefings.

"He will then return to Brazil and will be back in the country a week before the [next African Cup qualifier] against Zambia, where he will also assist in the preparation of the national team," Hack said.

He emphasised that Parreira would be involved in these games as an assistant and not as head coach.

Assistants to accompany Parreira
He will be accompanied by a technical team, including an assistant trainer, goalkeeping coach and physical training coach. This team will visit South Africa at various times before Parreira's arrival in the country.

In the meantime, South Africans Pitso Mosimane and Khabo Zondo will coach the national team "subject to the concern of their [club] teams".

Asked by journalists why Parreira would only assume his duties in 2007, three years ahead of the next World Cup, Hack said the new coach needed some time with his family as well as to complete his relocation arrangements.

He told reporters that the association's technical team had assured them that Parreira was the best man for the job. "And I hope that this will show in the results."

Besides having coached Brazil to World Cup victory in 1994 - and to this year's quarterfinal exit in Germany - Parreira has also led Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, the USA and Saudi Arabia to the World Cup finals.

Source: BuaNews

	Carlos Alberto Parreira, a World Cup winning captain with Brazil in 1970

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