Nahtino
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 Posted: Mon Oct 09, 2006 3:35 pm Post subject: |
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Interview with Carlos Peireira
this guy s gonna do wonders for US , lets SUPPORT HIM !!!
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Parreira looks at the basics
October 09 2006 at 12:28PM
Carlos Alberto Parreira is excited about the challenge of developing South African soccer in time for the World Cup finals of 2010. The well-travelled Brazilian coach was interviewed by fifa.com before Bafana Bafana's trip to Zambia at the weekend.
Tell us about your new job as South Africa coach.
Parreira: All I've done so far is sign a contract, as I'm not due to start work until mid-January. But I've already watched a 2008 African Cup of Nations qualifier, and I'll be present at the next match against Zambia. That'll help me get up to speed, because since the end of the World Cup I've had so many commitments in Brazil, including time with my family. But at least we have plenty of time until 2010.
Why have you chosen to take on the South Africa job?
'Going there and building up a team is just fantastic'
Obviously the main reason was the fact that South Africa are hosts for the 2010 Fifa World Cup, which means the country will be the focus of world football for the next four years. Going there and building up a team is just fantastic, a real challenge. The South Africans were looking for someone with experience, because it's all gone downhill over the last seven or eight years there. It's high time the tide turned again. Expectations there are extremely high, so we'll need to work very hard to make sure the team performs well in 2010.
What are your priorities right now?
Planning, organising and team building. There's a great deal to do.
You have watched one match so far. What are your initial impressions of the team?
They're technically good, but they have problems in front of goal. They've not scored often enough in most of their games, which is what we have to work on. It's a long-term plan, and hopefully we'll meet our targets. There will definitely be lows and any number of obstacles on the journey, and I don't know how people will react to that. But I've told them we have to take on the big names such as Germany, Italy and England if we want to learn. Results are not important. It's the only effective way to prepare for the World Cup.
'It's a situation we have to change very rapidly'
What's your opinion of South Africa's youth set-up?
It's the saddest story ever told. They have no youth development programme whatsoever. There's no Under-18, Under-20 or Under-16 league, which is unbelievable. It's a situation we have to change very rapidly, because basically it's already very late in the day. We still have to do something, at least at Under-20 level. The players who should currently be playing at the Under-19 level would be 22 or 23 years old at the World Cup, and would be contenders for places in the team. An Under-12 set-up wouldn't help us at the World Cup, I admit, but it's vitally important for the future there. And another important point is a reserve league, to make sure the players who aren't first-team regulars at least get match practice. These are important fundamentals. We have to set up this and establish an Under-20 league.
How much time will you spend in South Africa?
I'll spend most of my time there, except for July when the league takes a break. I'll go back to Brazil then.
Will you be bringing in a coaching team from Brazil?
I'm going to bring over my assistant and the physio, but we'll also be supported by a South African coach.
How would you rate the mood in the country?
Everyone's immensely excited in South Africa. It'll definitely be an extremely good World Cup, and very different compared to the tournament in Germany. You just can't compare the cultural and historical aspects. The country is exceptionally interesting and well developed. People are in for a surprise.
What are the main differences between coaching Brazil and coaching South Africa?
Coaching the Brazilian national team is a little bit special. I've been the coach on three occasions, first in 1983, then 1991, and a third time in 2003. The Brazilian association is superbly organised, maintains exceptionally high standards and boasts a very good infrastructure. I don't believe there's anything better in this respect. At most you might find equivalent standards. On top of that, you're obviously working with players of outstanding quality. You have an embarrassment of choice. So you can't really make the comparison. You come to South Africa knowing that all these things still have to be established. You have to plan, organise and piece together a new national team. It's a stiff challenge.
So you'll be concentrating on the basics for the time being?
It's a different situation. I spent eight years in Kuwait. At the time, every single player was based in Kuwait; we had no-one playing overseas, so we spent months training together. That's how we managed such good results. Many of South Africa's best players are based overseas, so we naturally don't have as much time together.
It was the same problem with Brazil, where nearly all the players are based overseas. So we have to start with team work.
I reckon the players are much better developed and more disciplined than 20 years ago.
At that time, African teams were hard-running and not much else, but now you have the Cameroon, Nigeria and Côte d'Ivoire.
These nations have sent plenty of players to Europe, where they've learnt about discipline, which is incredibly important, although you mustn't neglect individual ability._________________ 
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