Former Bafana Bafana coach Jomo Sono says Carlos Alberto Parreira could not claim time was against him if the national team failed to progress beyond the opening stage of the 2010 World Cup in June.

"His (Parreira's) job is not as difficult as some people think," Sono told the Business Day.

He added: "Even if he only had two months to prepare the national team, that would still be enough time. He does not have to teach these players how to play the ball when they have been playing this sport for years.

"His job is only to work on their psychological and mental outlook."

Sono pointed out that he had less time than Parreira when he was asked by the South African Football Association (Safa) to lead Bafana to the 1998 African Nations Cup after Clive Barker was dismissed on the eve of the continental tournament.

"I only had three weeks with Bafana. In fact, we did not have much of a team in Burkina Faso (the host of the 1998 event) but we got to the final. We were even crippled by a host of injuries along the way.

"All we did was make them believe that they could do it. We told them they were better than everybody and they believed us," explained Sono.

Meanwhile, Sono said it was imperative for Parreira to retain some of the players who performed admirably in the friendly outings against Swaziland and Zimbabwe this week.

A local- based Bafana squad handed Swaziland a 6-2 thumping last Saturday and followed up that rich scoring form with a 3-0 drubbing of Zimbabwe three days later. "This whole exercise will have been in vain if he does not keep some of the players who impressed during these friendlies. What will have been the point if he does not at least retain some of them?

"How will these players feel if they are dropped to make way for the overseas-based contingent when the final squad is announced?" Sono asked.

Sono said there was no reason to believe that Bafana would fail as the national team had several advantages over group rivals Mexico, Uruguay and France.

"We tend to worry too much about some of these players and their teams because we see them on TV. People see teams like Brazil, Spain, Italy and think they are unbeatable. The reality is it is 11 against 11 on that soccer pitch, and names do not mean anything at the end of the day. We can do it," concluded Sono.