The South African Football Association (Safa) hierarchy's obsession with Brazilian football will destroy South African soccer in the end, writes iafrica.com's Khaya Ndubane.

The decision by Safa to re-appoint Carlos Alberto Parreira has caused uproar in South Africa with many questioning why a local coach was not appointed to lead the country to the 2010 World Cup.

Safa has come out in defence of their decision to appoint Parreira by saying there was no time for experimenting, and that Bafana were following Parreira's programme under the now sacked Joel Santana, so it was only logical that he should come back.

But I have a problem with this answer especially the last part that says "Bafana were following Parreira's programme" because if this is true then Parreira failed Bafana not Santana!

It puzzles me further to see Safa appointing a man whose programme failed Bafana. Safa President Kirsten Nematandani even had the nerve to say that it was logical for Parreira to finish what he had started!

Maybe someone needs to point out to Nematandani that it was Parreira's programme that turned the once feared Bafana into a laughing stock. It was the same programme that has seen players who do not deserve to play for the country still dishing out pathetic football.

The reason I'm saying that is because Parreira himself has already come out and said that he instructed his Brazilian mate, and Safa, not to tamper with the squad that he was using.

Poor Santana was just following instructions when he continued to field the likes of captain Aaron Mokoena — even though he was the weakest link in the Bafana defence. Santana was also just following Parreira’s instructions when he continued to field two defensive midfielders, even though it was clear that was costing Bafana dearly.

It is a well known fact that Parreira prefers a more defensive approach, and it was the same approach that cost him his job as the Brazil coach, even though he had won the World Cup.

This defensive approach might have worked for Brazil, but Santana can attest to the fact that it does not work for South Africa. After all, it was this system that eventually cost him his job in the end.

Nematandani has already come out and said that a South African coach will take over from Parreira after the World Cup, but I feel sorry for whoever will be selected because by then Parreira would have destroyed what millions of South African pay to watch - and that is the beautiful South African soccer!

But then again, the building process will continue for another 15 years, won’t it?

  • Do you agree with Khaya? Is Carlos Parreira the right man for Bafana? Let us know what YOU think!
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