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PREPARING SOUTH AFRICA FOR THE WORLD |
Brazilian Joel Santana came to South Africa with a glittering record at club level. He is one of the few managers who succeeded in winning league titles with four different teams (Botafogo, Flamengo, Fluminense, and Vasco da Gama). However, he has had a rough ride since he took over as national coach from Carlos Parreira. With just one victory in a competitive match, there are growing calls for him to be axed. Project 2010 asked him…  Are you surprised at the public outcry following Bafana's exit from the African Cup of Nations - and all the calls for your resignation - or is this part of the territory? I am in pain as everyone else. We did not go into the qualifiers to lose, but to win and to qualify. So yes, I do understand and share the same frustrations. But we must not forget the bigger picture which is to continue building a team for the World Cup. Overall are you satisfied with how you have been received in our country? The people have been very nice in this country and very friendly. They are still encouraging despite the country's failure to qualify for the 2010 African Cup of Nations. Children and other people in the streets still say we must not give up. How serious do you think Bafana's exclusion from the 2010 Cup of Nations is…do you think friendly internationals and training camps can be an effective substitute? It was very important for us to qualify otherwise we wouldn't have entered for the competition. It would have been nice to have a tough competition in the Nations Cup just ahead of the World Cup. We are now looking at various options to prepare the team for the World Cup. Do you think you have been able to build on the changes that Carlos Parreira made to the squad? You must understand that I am following the same programme that was started Parreira which was to use 2007 and 2008 to identify players. So, yes, there are players that have come through since my short stay in the country. Others are players that had already been identified before my arrival, but had not had the chance yet to be tried at the national team. What are the biggest positives you can draw from the standard of South African play? The country is rich in talent and it has come out in almost all the games that we have played at the national team. We've just been unlucky that we have been failing to score even when we have dominated the game at times. Players here are also quick and are strong when playing the ball on the ground. We must continue to work on our ball possession and providing experience to young players through friendly games. more interviews...
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