Parreira seeks Brazilian spark for South Africa
Reuters - Thursday 11 March 2010, 02:36
TERESOPOLIS, Brazil - South Africa
coach Carlos Alberto Parreira is hoping his team will learn to
play the 'Brazilian way' at the World Cup finals after a
month-long training camp in his homeland.
Parreira, who brought a squad of 29 to the Brazil team's
Teresopolis training centre, said South Africa would play a
series of friendlies against club sides to warm up for the
World Cup and become imbued with the Brazilian game.
"The idea of bringing them here is because this is the
cradle of world football," former Brazil coach Parreira, who
steered his country to the fourth of their five world crowns in
1994, said.
"Great world champion players with the Brazilian national
team have trained here. I want that to act as an inspiration
for our players," he told a news conference.
Parreira said South African soccer suffers from the many
different styles of their club sides, a reflection of the
coaches of a variety of nationalities who work there.
"South African football doesn't have an image, it has
several identities, there are trainers from various parts of
the world," he said.
"Our (Brazilian) great quality is to put the ball on the
ground, so there is nothing better than to play in Brazil,
against Brazilian teams, so (South African players) get that
feeling of the ball on the ground.
"That is the style that adapts best to their game."
Parreira added 15 of his 29 players in Brazil, where they
play friendlies against Cruzeiro, Fluminense, Botafogo, Santos
and Palmeiras and some smaller club sides, are sure to be in
his World Cup squad.
Top forwards Benny McCarthy and Steven Pienaar were not
released by their English clubs for the camp that also includes
a match against World Cup-bound Paraguay in Asuncion on March
31.
The camp will be followed by a three-week spell in Germany
that Parreira said would help reduce the pressure from South
African fans, who are demanding much more from the team than a
place in the second round that is his target.
"There's a huge pressure, the fans think with their hearts.
They want their team to reach the semi-finals, the final, they
don't want to know if the team is okay in the FIFA ranking,
what they want are results," Parreira said.
South Africa have been drawn in Group A at the June 11-July
11 finals they will host with Mexico, Uruguay and France.