South Africa’s national team will be carrying the hopes of the nation when the opening match gets under way at Soccer City on June 11.
As hosts, Bafana Bafana were automatic qualifiers for the competition, but there is concern about how they will do after failing to qualify for the recent Africa Cup of Nations. The Mail & Guardian looks at three key men who could help the team surpass all expectations at the tournament.
THE COACH
Carlos Alberto Gomes Parreira was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 1943, and started his professional coaching career in 1967. He is one of the most highly regarded coaches in world soccer, having achieved notable success at both club and national-team level. He first made a name for himself as the coach of his hometown club, Fluminense, leading them to the league title in 1984, and again in 1999. In between he had successful coaching stints with the Brazilian national team, winning the World Cup in 1994.
He holds the distinction of being one of only two coaches to lead four countries to the global showpiece, and will break this record when he leads South Africa at June’s event. Parreira has a reputation for playing defensive football, a charge that most likely got him sacked as Brazil coach after the team were knocked out of the quarterfinals of the 2006 Soccer World Cup. Many fans were sceptical of his reappointment as Bafana Bafana coach in 2009 after he had suddenly vacated the position less than year previously, citing his wife’s ill health.
STAR PLAYER
Everton’s Steven Pienaar is arguably South Africa’s most valuable player going into the Soccer World Cup. Pienaar emerged as one of the hottest talents in the domestic game while playing for Ajax Cape Town, helping the side to the Telkom Cup in 2001, before sealing a move to Ajax Amsterdam, where he gained valuable Champions League experience. His vision and dynamism in midfield soon caught the eye of some of the biggest clubs in Europe, and Pienaar had a frustrating spell with German side Borussia Dortmund before making the switch to Everton.
He has thrived in the Premier League, establishing himself as a versatile, hard-working midfielder who is able to create chances out of nothing, earning him plaudits from fans and football analysts alike. He has been dogged by a knee injury in recent seasons but it’s a fair assumption that Bafana’s success at the World Cup will hinge largely on how well “Schillo” does in the middle of the park.
ONE FOR THE FUTURE
Before he had even played a full 90 minutes of first-team soccer, Kermit Erasmus was already being tipped as the great hope of South African soccer. The 19-year-old has a massive reputation to live up to, being named as one of the world’s top 50 most exciting teen footballers in 2007, ranked among such impressive talents as Pato of AC Milan and Theo Walcott of England. This, however, does not seem to faze him. After spending his formative years at SuperSport United’s youth academy, he was snapped up by Dutch giants Feyenoord before he had even made a first-team appearance for SuperSport.
His first season at Feyenoord did not go according to plan, but a loan move to Excelsior Rotterdam has been a breath of fresh air for the South African under-23 regular. The stocky striker, often compared to Brazilian legend Romario, scored four goals in six appearances for Rotterdam, and was impressive during the recent Under-20 World Cup in Egypt, steering Amajita to the quarterfinals with three goals in four matches.