Parreira takes on his biggest challenge

World Cup 2010:He has worked in international football for almost 40 years. With Brazil in 1994, he won the sport's biggest prize. But Carlos Alberto Parreira has never faced a challenge like this one: turning a team ranked 67th in the world into potential World Cup winners.

Officially unveiled yesterday as South Africa's new coach, the Brazilian already faces countless obstacles: a dearth of talent, some wantaway stars, plenty of back-room chaos and, worst of all, the high expectations of the 2010 tournament's host nation.

"The best performance would be to win the World Cup . . . but even with a Brazilian chief you have to go step by step," he told the country's sporting press, thereby simultaneously raising and lowering hopes.

Parreira arrives as preparations for the World Cup, the first to be held on African soil, kick off in earnest. On Wednesday, South Africa's football bosses unveiled their new headquarters in Johannesburg, while earlier this week President Thabo Mbeki rallied support for the event at a summit of African leaders in Ethiopia.

The flurry of activity has been welcomed by Fifa, which had raised concern about lack of progress. While Fifa president Sepp Blatter said on Monday there was "a moral obligation" to hold the event in Africa, speculation persists that the footballing body is not entirely happy with the tournament's prospective hosts.

The building of new stadiums has yet to begin, and costs are already running well over target. The South African Football Association (Safa) have been embroiled in a range of controversies, while Parreira himself has experienced some bad omens, including a power-cut at his offices on his first day of work.

Not that the Brazilian seemed overly-concerned. He has operated before in a few tricky places, including Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia - every one of which he successfully guided to a World Cup.

"It's very difficult to be there with the Sheiks and the kings, whatever," he said of his Middle Eastern experience, suggesting this African adventure could only be better.

Winning over the country's notoriously fickle media will be a key objective, and he started off on a good note yesterday. Introducing himself to the excitable press pack, he beamed: "Sawubona, ninjani? (hello, how are you?), thereby instantly speaking more Zulu than many a white settler has done in his or her lifetime in South Africa.

How nice it would have been, perhaps, to hear Brian Kerr utter those words, as the former Republic of Ireland manager was an early applicant for the South African post. But Safa had decided some time ago to go for a big name in international soccer, and stumped up the money to match. Parreira's salary of 1.8 million rand (€192,500) a month is a huge outlay for a relatively cash-strapped soccer nation.

The coach downplayed the sum yesterday, saying his "main reason" for taking the job was the pleasure and honour of being part of the "first African World Cup".

But questions remain as to whether the expense is justified - not just for Parreira but for the World Cup itself. A parliamentary committee heard last week that five host cities had a combined shortfall of 2.5 billion rand (€268 million) for stadium construction.

In a country where half the population lives in poverty, there is much concern about where the money will come from and whether 2010 will have a knock-on effect on government spending in other areas.

Confidence in the organisers has been further dented by a series of Safa own-goals, including political infighting and garbled communications.

A press conference late last year to announce progress on the World Cup ended in disarray when the speakers fail to show. More eyebrows were raised this week when it was announced that a controversial former civil servant - currently awaiting trial on a drink-driving charge - has been appointed head of security for 2010.

There has been on-pitch embarrassments too, one of them in a recent local premiership game when advertising hoardings that were not properly secured to the ground blew onto the field and nearly decapitated several players.

The first Bafana Bafana training camp under Parreira - scheduled for next week - has also attracted mirth, with the withdrawal of the top European-based players like Bolton's Quinton Fortune and Blackburn's Benni McCarthy. Parreira said that if the latter wishes to join the squad at a later date "he will be most welcome", but "if he doesn't want to play we don't want him".

Ever the pragmatist, the Brazilian - who made his name by grinding out dour victories for his home nation in USA '94 - stressed he was happy to work with what he had got.

"My programme is to build one team - that's it."

As for the doom-merchants both on and off the pitch, he suggested they should at least have a little patience. "Do not forget, this is a long process," he said. "Everybody needs time."