Parreira: No comment on Benni

Johannesburg - Bafana Bafana coach Carlos Alberto Parreira axed West Ham striker Benni McCarthy on Tuesday when naming his 23-man Soccer World Cup squad.

High-profile McCarthy had been involved in a race against the clock to get fit and rediscover his form after an injury-interrupted English Premiership season with Blackburn Rovers and the Upton Park club.

Brazilian Parreira told a news conference here: "I am not going to talk about individuals who did not make the final squad. We applied five principles when making our choices.

"This is not the end of the road for the five footballers whose dreams I have cut short. There will be other opportunities to play for the national team," stressed the 1994 World Cup-winning coach.

McCarthy played in only one of four warm-up matches last month, coming on as a second-half substitute in a bruising 2-1 victory over Colombia at Soccer City last Thursday.

He saw little of the ball and did not have an opportunity to increase his record 32-goal haul for Bafana Bafana, who are in Group A with Mexico and former world champions France and Uruguay.

There were several other surprises as the squad was slimmed from 28 players to the regulation 23 with uncapped goalkeeper Shu-Aib Walters from unfashionable Maritzburg United getting the nod over Germany-based Rowen Fernandez.

Bryce Moon was considered the likeliest deputy right-back behind Siboniso Gaxa but the slot went to Anele Ngcongca, perhaps because the Belgium-based footballer can be deployed in various defensive and midfield roles.

Others who did not make it for the June 11-July 11 tournament in nine South African cities were predictable with left-back Innocent Mdledle and left-side midfielder Franklin Cale missing out.

Parreira, who will overtake Serb Bora Milutinovic next month by making a record sixth World Cup tournament appearance as a coach, said everywhere he goes in South Africa people tell him to make the country proud.

"We will make the country proud. We are ready to face Mexico on June 11 in the opening match," said a weary Parreira who had just four hours sleep before the announcement.

He and his squad left northern city Polokwane late on Monday on a 400km coach journey to Johannesburg after a 5-0 thumping of central American minnows Guatemala.

It was a record winning margin for Bafana, bettering four-goal victories over Chad and Thailand, and also a memorable night for captain Aaron Mokoena as he became the first South African footballer to be capped 100 times.

South Africa complete their warm-up schedule at Atteridgeville township near Pretoria Saturday against fellow qualifiers Denmark, who are in Group E with Netherlands, Cameroon and Japan.

Bafana SWC squad:

Goalkeepers:
Itumeleng Khune (Kaizer Chiefs), Moeneeb Josephs (Orlando Pirates), Shu-Aib Walters (Maritzburg United)

Defenders:
Matthew Booth (Mamelodi Sundowns), Lance Davids (Ajax Cape Town), Siboniso Gaxa (Mamelodi Sundowns), Bongani Khumalo (SuperSport United), Tsepo Masilela (Maccabi Haifa, Israel), Aaron Mokoena (Portsmouth, England), Anele Ngcongca (Genk, Belgium) Siyabonga Sangweni (Golden Arrows), Lucas Thwala (Orlando Pirates)

Midfielders:
Kagisho Dikgacoi (Fulham, England), Thanduyise Khuboni (Golden Arrows), Reneilwe Letsholonyane (Kaizer Chiefs), Teko Modise (Orlando Pirates), Steven Pienaar (Everton, England) MacBeth Sibaya (Rubin Kazan, Russia) Siphiwe Tshabalala (Kaizer Chiefs)

Forwards:
Surprise Moriri (Mamelodi Sundowns), Katlego Mphela (Mamelodi Sundowns), Siyabonga Nomvethe (Moroka Swallows), Bernard Parker (FC Twente, Netherlands).

Omitted:
Rowen Fernandez (Arminia Bielefeld, Germany)
Benedict McCarthy (West Ham United, England)
Franklin Cale (Mamelodi Sundowns)
Innocent Mdledle (Mamelodi Sundowns)
Bryce Moon (PAOK, Greece)