Parreira to call Benni McCarthy back to South Africa squad

Rio de Janeiro - In his return to the position of South Africa national football coach, Brazilian Carlos Alberto Parreira plans to call striker Benni McCarthy back to the squad, and to press for a Bafana training camp in Brazil. In an interview with Brazilian television Wednesday, just before travelling to Johannesburg, Parreira said he would like to take his men to South America in March, but warned that he would need the cooperation of players' clubs. 'That experience in Brazil would be very valuable, but we will need to get the approval of coaches in (players') teams. It is not a FIFA date, and they are not under the obligation to release (players),' Parreira explained. 'We will have to seek an agreement so that we can have at least 70 or 80 per cent of the main team training in Brazil,' he said. Parreira further confirmed that he is willing to call up veteran striker Benni McCarthy, who ended up being excluded from the South Africa team after clashing with former coach Joel Santana. 'I think (McCarthy) is the best striker. If he is willing to play, to sacrifice and to commit to the national team, I think he deserves a chance,' Parreira said. The coach noted that the Blackburn Rovers forward would be on the list he is set to make public Thursday, ahead of friendlies against Japan on November 14 and Jamaica on November 17. Last month, as he evaluated a possible return to South Africa, Parreira had already mentioned 'the lack of goalscorers' as 'the greatest difficulty for South African football.' 'And you cannot find a goalscorer in a few months,' he said at the time. When he commented on the challenge of returning to South Africa - a year after stepping down as coach for family reasons - Parreira noted that leading the World Cup host entails 'pressure similar to that of commanding the Brazil national team.' 'The great challenge is to qualify for the second round,' he said of the World Cup. However, Parreira appeared confident. 'We will have to work hard, but we will make it. I hold the hope that playing at home, with the support of the fans, South Africa will make it to the second round, and then the sky is the limit,' he said. 'I think we can have a very competitive team in the World Cup.'