Boys to Brazil – the hard work starts now

ED AARONS

JOHANNESBURG - A nine-hour flight is enough to make anyone pleased to be back on terra firma, but the Bafana Bafana squad that began arriving in Brazil on Monday will be delighted to at last be fully assembled this afternoon.

Carlos Alberto Parreira and his assistants Pitso Mosimane and Jairo Leal were the first to arrive in Rio de Janeiro as the first of four planes carrying the 29-man squad touched down at the city’s Antonio Carlos Jobim International Airport.

When the last stragglers arrive, an 85-kilometre transfer to the Brazilian national team’s headquarters at Granja Comary in Teresopolis awaits, where Parreira will begin the process of preparing his team for the World Cup.

First up is a match with third tier side Volta Redonda on Saturday, before Bafana face sterner tests against Fluminense on Sunday and trips to Belo Horizante to play Cruzeiro on March 17th and Joel Santana’s Botafogo in Rio three days later. It promises to be a real test for the players who underperformed so badly against Namibia last week and given Parreira’s aim to improve his players’ poor fitness levels, there will be no time for cablecar trips up Sugar Loaf mountain or impromptu matches on Copacabana beach.

Defender Morgan Gould, who has not travelled to Brazil after picking up an ankle ligament injury at the end of February, believes the camp will be of great benefit to Bafana’s chances.

“Anything to do with playing out of the country and learning about your team-mates is definitely going to be a good experience,” he said.

“Learning the culture and what the coach expects from us is a big part of these camps and that will only be good for the team.”

Of the PSL players not selected for the camp, Gould could justifiably have expected to have made the cut but having featured regularly for his country since making his international debut in 2008, the 26-year-old remains confident he is still in Parreira’s plans.

He said: “It’s part of the game – unfortunately the injury happened at a time when we are preparing for the World Cup. It was frustrating in the beginning but all things happen for a reason. I’ve not had any communication from Safa since the injury but the people around me have been very encouraging and the sooner I get better then the more chance I have of making it into the squad.”

With the likes of Aaron Mokoena, Matthew Booth, Siyabonga Sangweni, Bevan Fransman, Nasief Morris and club-mate Bongani Khumalo all vying for just four spots, Parreira faces a tough decision.

“There’s still a lot of time to be noticed,” said Gould.

“We have several good players in contention for my position but the competition can only be good for us.”