Foreign managers on a mission

The history books show that no foreign coach has ever led a country to success at a FIFA World Cup™. In recent years only the Dutchman Guus Hiddink has gone close taking Korea Republic to fourth place at the 2002 finals. Nonetheless, such records are there to be broken and there will be no less than 12 coaches in South Africa looking to put an end to the curse of the foreign coach.

Perhaps the most iconic of the twelve, and the only one to have already tasted success in the competition, is Carlos Alberto Parreira. At the age of 67 the Brazilian is preparing for his sixth FIFA World Cup as a coach. In addition to two forays with his native Brazil, in 1994 and 2006, this bona fide globetrotter coached Kuwait in 1982, United Arab Emirates in 1990 and Saudi Arabia in 1998.

“It would be very audacious to say that we have a chance of winning the World Cup, but I can safely say that we are prepared for anything that comes our way. We’ll do our utmost to make South Africans feel proud and will fight against each and every opponent. This is the message that I have been transmitting to my players, and they’ve picked up on it,” said the hosts’ coach with the Opening Match against Mexico fast approaching. It would seem that the Bafana Bafana squad are not alone in picking up on the coach’s clarion call. In a recent FIFA survey, 14 per cent of South Africans said they believe the host nation can go all the way, a figure bettered only by the 37 per cent who believe Brazil will take the title.

Another experienced coach who has taken the reins overseas is England supremo Fabio Capello. The Italian seems to have grasped the formula for quickly adapting to a team on foreign shores. “The most important thing is to understand where you are working,” he explained in a past interview with FIFA.com. “You have to understand the attitude of the players, of the country or the city. For example, in Milan people are more reserved; in Rome they are more passionate and so on. Only if you understand this can you opt for the most appropriate work methods to help the players and the team.”