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Johannesburg - Bafana Bafana coach Carlos Alberto Parreira trained all 30 players in his preliminary Soccer World Cup squad for the first time on Friday after Everton midfielder Steven Pienaar arrived.
Pienaar was allowed to join his team-mates late after a gruelling season with English Premiership club Everton, who voted him their Player of the Year.
The slightly built wide midfielder is the only South African playing regularly in a top European league and the hosts' chances of avoiding a first-round exit rest heavily on his guile.
Mexico and former World Cup winners France and Uruguay complete Group A at what will be the first World Cup to be staged by Africa.
South Africa began their countdown to the June 11-July 11 tournament last Sunday with a 4-0 thumping of Thailand and next week host Bulgaria in Soweto and Colombia at Soccer City, venue for the opening match and final.
Parreira is hoping to arrange another friendly for May 31, while fellow qualifiers Denmark are confirmed as the final warm-up opponents before South Africa confront Mexico in the opening match of the World Cup.
