Start preparing SA 2010 team now: ANC

Soccer players selected for the national team should be directly contracted by the South African Football Association (Safa), the African National Congress said today.

This would allow coach Carlos Alberto Parreira to work full-time for two years in preparing a winning team for 2010, the party's parliamentary sport and recreation study group said.

The dividends to the nation would be immense as shown by a similar initiative undertaken by the French in the period prior to the 1998 Fifa Soccer World Cup, which they won.

The same strategy benefited the South Koreans, who finished third in the 2002 competition.

Winning team
"This initiative will start a process of building a patriotic and winning team which, with pride and dedication, can represent South Africa on the football fields of the world," the ANC said.

The party supported Sport and Recreation Minister Makhenkesi Stofile's recent proposal for a national soccer squad to be established to prepare for participation in 2010.

"This group of players must be comprised of the most talented players in the (Premier Soccer League) who have a desire to do our country proud in the 2010 World Cup.

"The current status quo in our soccer does not augur well for our preparations for the Fifa World Cup action as local and foreign based players are often left at the mercy of their club bosses in deciding their availability for the national team."

This undermined the national interest and resulted in ill-prepared national teams.

Under any proposed plan, club bosses should release their best players from club obligations through a negotiated process with Safa, who were the custodians of the national soccer team, Bafana Bafana, the ANC said. - Sapa