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/ 19 May 2008

Santana prepared for ‘difficult mission’

New Bafana Bafana coach Brazilian Joel Santana has not come to South Africa on a safari. At his first press conference at Johannesburg’s Safa House on Monday, he spelt out what he hoped to achieve during the 30 months that he will be in charge of the national team. ”I will do my talking on the training pitch,” he said.

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/ 18 May 2008

New Bafana coach arrives in SA

Bafana Bafana’s new coach, Joel Santana, faced a scrum of media photographers when he arrived on Sunday at Johannesburg’s OR Tambo airport. It took Santana’s South African Police Service escort less than a minute to whisk Santana out of the airport and into his car en route to his hotel.

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/ 23 April 2008

Safa confirms Santana as new coach

The South African Football Association (Safa) has finally confirmed the appointment of Joel Santana as coach of Bafana Bafana, following the resignation of Carlos Alberto Parreira on Monday. The worst-kept secret in local soccer was confirmed in a press release from the body on Wednesday.

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/ 23 April 2008

Bafana wait to confirm new coach

South Africa will wait to finalise a contract with their new coach before officially announcing his appointment, the South African Football Association’s CEO said on Wednesday. ”We expect everything to be in place with all contractual and legal obligations sorted out by May 4,” Raymond Hack told local radio.

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/ 22 April 2008

Report: Santana to succeed Parreira

Though Carlos Alberto Parreira will quit his post as coach of Bafana Bafana to be with his ill wife, he remain a technical adviser to the team, he announced on Monday. Meanwhile, the sports website GloboEsporte reported late on Monday that Joel Santana, coach of Brazil’s Flamengo club, would succeed Parreira.

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/ 21 April 2008

Parreira says goodbye to South Africa

Brazilian Carlos Alberto Parreira announced his resignation on Monday as coach of 2010 World Cup hosts South Africa. World Cup-winning coach Parreira, who served 15 months of a three-and-a-half-year contract aimed at transforming the struggling national team, quit because his Brazil-based wife is ill after recent major surgery.

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/ 19 April 2008

Parreira’s SA future to be revealed next week

Carlos Alberto Parreira’s uncertain future as South Africa coach will be made clear on Monday, the South African Football Association (Safa) said on Saturday. ”We will make a statement after an executive committee meeting,” Safa CEO Raymond Hack said. The announcement follows in the wake of reports he planned to resign to return to Brazil.

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/ 19 April 2008

Uncertainty over Parreira’s future

The South African Football Association held talks with national team coach Carlos Alberto Parreira on Friday amid reports the Brazilian was about to quit and return home. Safa and 2010 World Cup organising officials said a meeting with Parreira was under way but gave no details of its content.

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/ 7 September 2007

It is 4.45pm at Meadowlands High School in Soweto. On the football field five different teams from around the area gather to prepare for their next league match. Two teams are using the partly grassed and already dusty field. On the sidelines there are about 20 players from Mighty Solutions FC.