Bafana Bafana squad named

Brazilian-born coach, Carlos Alberto Parreira, added 10 overseas-based players to his squad, announced late Friday, after Bafana Bafanas return from a 19-day Training Camp in Germany.

The 29 players will participate in the fourth and final training camp, before Parreira announces his final 23-men squad at the end of this month.

The Brazilian 1994 World Cup winner said he was not certain about when exactly his overseas-based players would arrive, adding that he was concerned about the fitness levels of some of them.

Besides Everton midfielder, Steven Peinaar, most of Bafana Bafanas foreign based players have not featured for their respective clubs and the Brazilian will have to devise a gruelling exercise to get into shape and restore their confidence.

He however, expressed hope that the largely local-based squad would produce the core of the team, especially those who have participated in most of the training camps.

“There will definitely be a good challenge presented by the local players to the overseas players in the fight for places in the final squad, said Parreira. This is the final camp that will give us our final shape. The most important thing now is that we get the final shape. The challenge that we have is that it is guaranteed that all the local based players will be in good condition for this camp, but then with the overseas players we will have to first check on their condition to ascertain how well prepared they are.

“With players like Steven Pienaar, we are certain about him because he has been playing regularly and so it will be a matter of giving him about five to six days rest so that he doesn’t go into the tournament tired. Pienaar gives us the ideal situation that we want as he has played 27 games in the last 23 weeks.

He, however, expressed concern with chief striker Benni McCarthy and midfielder Kagisho Dikgacoi, who have not been involved at the high level of competition regularly.

“We have brought in 29 players for this camp because for the first two games we will not have all the overseas-based players. And if we are to make changes in this team and we have to bring in another player, then it has to be one of those that have been dropped but have been with us in the previous camps,” added Parreira.

“It is important that we play against strong teams because from the first time that I got here, I have been scared of the kind of opposition that we playing against, they were that good. So we have now played big teams Scotland, Germany, Paraguay. Preparation is vital for the World Cup.”

South Africa began their camp in Durban in January, then Brazil in March, Germany in April while the last one starts on Tuesday (05 May) in Johannesburg.

The Bafana Bafana squad

GOALKEEPERS – Itumeleng Khune Moeneeb Josephs, Shu-Aib Walters, Rowen Fernandez

DEFENDERS Matthew Booth, Siboniso Gaxa, Bongani Khumalo, Tshepo Masilela, Innocent Mdledle, Aaron Mokoena, Bryce Moon, Anele Ngcongca, Siyabonga Sangweni, Lucas Thwala

MIDFIELDERS Franklin Cale, Lance Davids, Kagisho Dikgacoi, Andile Jali, Thanduyise Khuboni, Reneilwe Letsholonyane , Teko Modise, Surprise Moriri, Steven Pienaar, MacBeth Sibaya, Siphiwe Tshabalala

STRIKERS – Katlego Mphela, Benni McCarthy, Siyabonga Nomvete, Bernard Parker