Parreira: Need to change culture
27 Nov 2007
South Africa coach Carlos Alberto Parreira admits his side needs to improve significantly if it wants to make a significant impact when it hosts the 2010 World Cup.
The Brazilian, who led his country to the 1994 World Cup title, has found life difficult since taking up the job in January this year although he got a much-needed boost with a 2-0 win over Canada in midweek.
“It will take time to change the culture. The way they play football is not the way we want them to play here,” said Parreira in Durban. “There is too much direct football and too much fighting for possession of the ball.”
Although automatic qualifiers as hosts, South Africa come up against African rivals Nigeria in the preliminary round of the 2010 World Cup, as the group doubles up as the qualifiers for the 2010 African Cup of Nations.
The 64-year-old Parreira said he believes many of South Africa’s problems lie with the fact that the youth system is seriously undeveloped, a situation that won’t be remedied in time to strengthen his World Cup squad.
“I was talking to a coach here who was saying I should have a look at a player who was young and gifted. He’s 24. They mature too late here.
“If this country wants to get back being one of the best sides in Africa, it is going to have to organise youth leagues. Now I realise this is the strength of Brazilian football. It’s not having Kaka, Ronaldinho or Ronaldo.”
Parreira cited Alexandre Pato, the 18-year-old Brazilian striker currently playing for Italian club AC Milan, as a perfect example.
“He has been engaged at a club [Internacional] since he was 10 or 11. This is the structure that we are missing in this country.
“It won’t help for the World Cup, it’s too late to make a youth league. It’s not for me that I’m fighting for this, it’s for South Africa’s future.”
Despite having in the Premier Soccer League, one of the richest leagues in Africa, Parreira sees a dependance on foreign talent as strangling local talent.
“They are one of the best organised leagues in Africa, but they don’t care about youth teams; they prefer to buy players from abroad,” he said.
“It’s not expensive to bring in a player from Zambia, for example. The problem is that they don’t bring in the best players because they are already in Europe. The players here are not models.”
Parreira has the added problem that many of his players who are in Europe are only second choices at their clubs.
Goalkeeper Rowen Fernandez and striker Sibusiso Zuma are both warming the bench at Bundesliga club Arminia Bielefeld, although Aaron Mokoena has become a regular starter for Blackburn Rovers this season.
“We have to create the right infrastructure to develop the talent,” said Parreira. “It’s no good just going to the provinces and giving them a ball. If you don’t have an organised league, we are afraid the money might not be used.”