Tournament News
Favourites to succeed Parreira
2010-06-23 15:25
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Johannesburg - Locals Pitso Mosimane and Gavin Hunt are the fron-trunners to succeed Brazilian Carlos Alberto Parreira as South Africa coach.
The $200 000 a month contract of the 67-year-old grandfather ended with the elimination of Bafana Bafana from the World Cup on Tuesday despite defeating France in their final group game.
Uruguay won Group A and South Africa finished level on four points with Mexico, who qualified for the knockout stage as runners-up because of a superior goal difference.
Former national team striker Mosimane and Brazilian Jairo Leal assisted Parreira during two spells in charge of the national team, interrupted by an 18-month stay in Rio de Janeiro to support his sick wife.
Parreria has publicly backed 45-year-old Mosimane for the post, claiming it would be "madness" to overlook a coach who has been part of the national squad for five years.
Mosimane played in Greece, Belgium and Qatar and got his coaching break at Pretoria-based SuperSport United as successor to former Liverpool goalkeeper Bruce Grobbelaar.
Bafana caretaker boss before Parreira arrived in 2007, Mosimane masterminded an African Nations Cup victory over Zambia at a Lusaka stadium that proved a graveyard for many powerful teams down the years.
Hunt, born 15 days before Mosimane in July 1964, played fullback for now defunct Cape Town club Hellenic and launched his coaching career by taking Seven Stars into the premier league.
Spells at other top-flight sides Hellenic, Black Leopards and Moroka Swallows followed before he succeeded Mosimane and led SuperSport to three connsecutive national championship titles.
He holds a UEFA A licence having travelled to Europe during several close seasons at his own expense and his my-way-or-the-highway approach worked wonders with largely star-less squads.
Whoever takes over has his work cut out with six-time champions Egypt, improving Niger and bogey team Sierra Leone in the same 2012 Nations Cup qualifying group.
Only mini-league winners are guaranteed a place at finals to be co-hosted by Gabon and Equatorial Guinea and the 'Pharaohs' are natural favourites having won the last three tournaments.
South Africa have been most successful under local coaches with Clive Barker winning the 1996 Nations Cup and Jomo Sono bringing the country its first World Cup victory eight years ago in South Korea over Slovenia.