Carlos Alberto Parreira’s return as South Africa coach has been widely pilloried in the country’s media, a stark contrast to the almost universal approval he received when he took the job the first time round in late 2006.

Parreira has been enticed back in the wake of the firing of compatriot Joel Santana last week, as the World Cup hosts battle to drag their national side out of a spiral of long-term mediocrity.

Parreira was supposed to be the architect of a plan to build a competitive South African side to set the 2010 tournament alight.

But when his wife fell ill, he had little option to quit and return home to Rio de Janeiro.

Failure to properly explain the reasons for his departure, combined with a simmering discontent over the amount of money he was being paid, obviously touched a sensitive nerve, because his return has been widely condemned.

Columnists across the South African media have raged against his re-appointment and, more to the point, the failure of the South African Football Association to appoint a locally-born coach in the wake of Santana's departure.

Just why a local would supercede the decades of World Cup experience Parreira has amassed has not been sufficiently explained.

Parreira will likely be surprised by the tone of the ‘welcome’ he will get when he arrives in Johannesburg soon to resume the job. He seemed to have the team on an upward curve during his first tenure but after his departure they have headed steadily downwards, even if there were some bright spots during June’s Confederations Cup.

The South African soccer scene is fickle, which could work in Parreira’s favour. Should he be able to engineer victories in the next two warm-up games, at home to Japan and Jamaica in mid-November, he could well be back on an African honeymoon.

PHOTO: Parreira, REUTERS/Masimba Sasa

South Africa coach Joel Santana has been given two more games to show progress with his side or face being fired just six months before the country hosts the 2010 World Cup finals.

A growing clamour for the departure of the 60-year-old, who came into the job 18 months ago after Carlos Alberto Parreira was forced to quit because of his wife’s illness, has been given momentum by two lethargic performances in Norway and Iceland.

Bafana Bafana lost both games 1-0 and have now been defeated in eight of their last nine matches –- the only positive was a hastily-arranged match against Madagascar last month that could barely be called a proper international but which South Africa won 1-0 to help massage the stark statistics.

This year, South Africa have scored 10 goals in 16 internationals and remain toothless upfront.

Santana is now facing a cacophony of calls for the return of Benni McCarthy, the country’s most controversial sportsman. Without a proven goalscorer he is in demand again, although Santana refuses to pick what he feels is a disruptive influence on his group.

The recent election of South African Football Association president Kirsten Nematandani initially spelt doom for Santana. Nematandani’s campaign manifesto included a promise to get rid of the unpopular Brazilian but since taking office he has tempered his stance.

The first step towards his possible dismissal by the year-end is the appointment of a group of three ‘assessors’ who will decide whether Santana is making any progress or not.

The trio is made up of two former `Bafana coaches – Jomo Sono and Clive Barker – and Gavin Hunt, who has led SuperSport United to the last two South African Premier League titles.

The ‘assessors’ won’t be making any recommendations on Santana’s competency until after the next warm-up games at home to Japan on Nov. 14 and Jamaica three days later.

Santana has done himself no favours by trotting out the same old excuses every time the team loses. Among them is a reminder that Germany, too, struggled in their build up to the 2006 World Cup finals which they hosted.

"And look how well they then went on to do," Santana tells reporters.

But few believe South Africa have any chance of getting anywhere near the knockout round next June, nevermind the semi-final.

PHOTO: South Africa coach Joel Santana reacts at the end of their international friendly soccer match against Serbia at the Super stadium in Pretoria August 12, 2009. REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko

When the initial estimate of World Cup stadium costs was made by South Africa, it was set at some R2-3 billion.

That was at the time of the country’s success in winning the bid ahead of its fellow African competitors in 2004, some six years before the hosting of the 2010 World Cup.

For months, officials have been predicting the final bill will come in around R13 billion. It is an staggering increase that has never got anything but a flimsy explanation over the last few years.

The economic recession, the price of steel, the volatile South African currency (the Rand) were all cited but never was a detailed explanation offered over the massive escalation.

Admittedly the stadium plan at the time of the R2-3 billion price range changed considerably in the subsequent years; two new stadiums were added to the original plans and the showpiece Soccer City venue given a whole new architectural feel.

Few in South Africa have ever questioned the additional costs, not even those who have felt a sporting spectacle should never have been allowed to take much needed cash away from sorting out the long-standing legacy of decades of Apartheid.

The Treasury seemed consistently happy to be doling out the cash. Up until now though. A probe from the Competition Commission in South Africa is to investigate the allocation of the construction tenders after all the cost escalations.

It might seem a little belated given that the last phase of stadium building is now underway and the venues are due to ready in December.

A country like South Africa needs the World Cup but there is a limit to how much they can pay out for a month-long party, particularly if it is to the detriment of millions of citizens who still have so little.

Nigeria Football Federation president Sani Lulu Abdallah has said this week his organisation will take the unprecedented step of measuring the bone density of players by use of an MRI scan, usually done around the wrist area, to approximate whether they are roughly the right age or not.

They will start before Nigeria put an under-17 side together for their hosting of the world championships later this year.

It has long been suspected that past sides (and Nigeria have won three World under-17 Championships) have had age cheats but Nigeria is among the first associations to have shown any willingness to try to tackle the issue.

There have been past admissions of cheating, almost all of them long after the fact, while some teams have been caught trying to change the date of birth of players, who had been previously registered for other competitions.

Similar scans to those proposed by Nigeria have not been implemented because they are not 100 percent accurate. But FIFA’s own findings have attached a 90 percent credibility to the tests...certainly much more credibility than the World Junior Championship will enjoy if age cheats go unchecked.

PHOTO: FIFA president Sepp Blatter, keen to root out age cheats, in Seoul Sept. 9, 2007. Blatter visited Seoul to watch the final between Spain and Nigeria at the FIFA U-17 World Cup. REUTERS/Jo Yong-Hak

The noisy trumpet, which dominates the sound waves around the stadiums during the Confederations Cup, has got a lot of people covering their ears.

Complaints from TV viewers across Europe have been vociferous enough for the future of the plastic pest to become the major item on the agenda at the series of press conferences FIFA president Sepp Blatter has held during the tournament in South Africa.

Blatter has said it will stay — he wants to celebrate local custom and is inviting the rest of the world to do so too.

FIFA’s television arm, HBS, are more cautious but say privately, at the end of the day what Blatter says goes.

The European TV stations, who pay a lot of the money that funds FIFA, Blatter and the World Cup, could have the vuvuzela banned if they bleated enough. But most of the noise, so far, has come from enraged South Africa columnists, who have rounded on the poor Dutch journalist who first sought Blatter’s response to complaints from European television viewers.

In Africa, there is a sensitivity to being told what to do from outside and a pride in seeking to create a unique World Cup in 2010. Some of the stuff written though has been a little churlish. See here, here and here for a flavour.

At the end the day, it is the big TV money that talks. If the world’s broadcasters feel the cacophony of vuvuzelas detracts from the viewing pleasure of their public, FIFA will be forced to back down and ban the trumpets from the 2010 World Cup stadiums.

It won’t have anything to do with any ‘ism, just cold hard cash.

The noisy trumpet, which dominates the sound waves around the stadiums during the Confederations Cup, has got a lot of people covering their ears.

Complaints from TV viewers across Europe have been vociferous enough for the future of the plastic pest to become the major item on the agenda at the series of press conferences FIFA president Sepp Blatter has held during the tournament in South Africa.

Blatter has said it will stay -- he wants to celebrate local custom and is inviting the rest of the world to do so too.

FIFA's television arm, HBS, are more cautious but say privately, at the end of the day what Blatter says goes.

The European TV stations, who pay a lot of the money that funds FIFA, Blatter and the World Cup, could have the vuvuzela banned if they bleated enough. But most of the noise, so far, has come from enraged South Africa columnists, who have rounded on the poor Dutch journalist who first sought Blatter's response to complaints from European television viewers.

In Africa, there is a sensitivity to being told what to do from outside and a pride in seeking to create a unique World Cup in 2010. Some of the stuff written though has been a little churlish. See here, here and here for a flavour.

At the end the day, it is the big TV money that talks. If the world's broadcasters feel the cacophony of vuvuzelas detracts from the viewing pleasure of their public, FIFA will be forced to back down and ban the trumpets from the 2010 World Cup stadiums.

It won't have anything to do with any ‘ism, just cold hard cash.

PHOTO: A South African soccer fan blows on a traditional "vuvuzela" horn before the start of the Confederations Cup match between New Zealand and Iraq at Ellis Park stadium in Johannesburg, June 20, 2009. REUTERS/Mike Hutchings

Matthew Booth

He is also very popular with the fans, the majority of whom are black, and who remember with particular affection the role he played as captain of the South African under-23 side when they beat Brazil at the Olympic Games nine years ago.

Booth has only just made it back to the national side after a long hiatus. His club career in Russia had cost him a place in the Bafana Bafana team, as he disappeared out of the local consciousness and was ignored by a succession of coaches.

Every time he touches the ball, both for Bafana Bafana and for his club Mamelodi Sundowns, the crowd chant, "Boooooootttt".

Few favoured players get such reverence from South Africans fans.

Lucas Radebe, a predecessor in the heart of the South African defence, elicited a chorus of "Rhooooo" every time he played a pass or cleared an attack. Mark Fish was "Feeeesh" and another favourite, John Moshoeu, "Shooooes".

When the German defender Robert Huth played at Chelsea, a similar sound used to echo from the Stamford Bridge fans whenever he touched the ball.

To the uninitiated, when Booth touches the ball, the chorus of approval sounds like a wall of derision. Given the racial history of South Africa, it could be misconstrued as negative barracking and because he is white and the majority of the crowd black, it takes on an even more negative connotation.

Booth patiently explained to confused foreign journalists at some length after the match against Iraq on Sunday about the chant. Almost all wanted to know why the crowd were on his back. Was it because he was white?

But some missed the explanation, including the Spanish daily El Pais who wrote of the "sadness" of a white player being derided by the majority black crowd. The irony is that it could not be further from the truth.

PHOTO: South Africa's Matthew Booth (L) challenges Iraq's Nashat Akram during their Confederations Cup soccer match at the Ellis Park Stadium in Johannesburg June 14, 2009. REUTERS/Jerry Lampen

The site, however, has inserted an extra 0 into the number so instead of dialing the correct number, calls go to the private line of the chief organiser, Danny Jordaan, increasingly bemused at the number of calls he is taking from the public about ticket availability and prices.

“Yes, there have been a lot,” he said laconically when Reuters called the alleged helpline number to check price information and got the big boss on the line instead.

Jordaan said he had asked for the number to be corrected, but in the meantime was happy to provide a personal touch to potential customers.

For all their scepticism about South Africa’s potential to host the World Cup, the build-up to the test event, the Confederations Cup, has so far gone without any major hitches.

It is a dream scenario for the home nation and FIFA, still trying to temper the doubters and persuade the world all will be ready by 2010, has added to the chorus of congratulations.

Sepp Blatter devoted a good deal of his traditional pre-tournament news conference on Friday to pouring scorn on the doubters.

Admittedly, there is much last minute activity and privately officials have spoken of the frustration of a society where urgency is not always a priority.

But in a country desperate to prove it can put on an event of the magnitude of the World Cup, South Africa is ahead in the PR race.

The only setback, ironically, has been the weather. It might be winter but on the Highveld, where the four venues for the Confederation Cup are situated, the cold season is normally mildly pleasant.

The air is brisk and after hours it gets cold but the days are usually filled with sunshine. Except for this week. Teams arrived to frigid conditions and unseasonal rain and spent the first days bemused by the weather.

The Italians, in particular, made much of the wet. Their friendly win against New Zealand in Pretoria on Wednesday was played in a constant downpour and the non-playing staff and spectators were bundled up as if on an Artic expedition.

The television pictures beamed back to Italy would certainly have put off a few potential tourists, who had planned to come out for the 2010 tournament.

But on the eve of kick off of the first game, South Africa v Iraq on Sunday, the sunshine has come out. Now the pressure is back on the organisers.

PHOTO: South Africa's President Jacob Zuma reacts after being given a soccer jersey by the national soccer team before their training session at Orlando stadium in Soweto June 13, 2009. REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko

This is more than two applications per available ticket although there is likely to be much more demand for the matches during the exciting knockout phase of the tournament than for the opening two weeks of group play.

Of those 1.6 million, about 70 percent are overseas applicants, meaning 500,000 applications were received from residents of host nation South Africa and elsewhere on the African continent.

This contrasts starkly with six million applications received at the same stage of the sale phase ahead of the 2006 finals in Germany.

Obviously the market in Europe is concentrated, more affluent and has a longer footballing tradition.

But it is a disappointing return from Africa and suggests that while the continent might be hosting the World Cup, it is not really participating fully in this historic event.

FIFA believe there is a marketing problem but no one has to sell football to Africans and there are few on the continent unaware that the World Cup will be hosted in South Africa next June.

Instead it speaks rather to the price of tickets, which range from US$20 for the cheapest to US$900 for the best seat in the house at the final in Johannesburg on July 11.

FIFA insist these are more than fair prices for a premium international sports event but even if they have a valid point the tickets remain far too expensive for the African pocket.

And this was supposed to be the World Cup that afforded Africans a rare opportunity to see the world’s top footballing stars first hand.

At least that is how FIFA president Sepp Blatter first sold it. “We have to give something back to Africa,” he said on numerous occasions as he lobbied for the rotation policy on World Cup hosting which ensured the 2010 event would be played on the continent.

But while South Africa has built impressive-looking stadiums, spruced up its infrastructure and spent way above what was originally budgeted, the majority of its regular football fans are not going to get a chance to see the tournament.

FIFA might point to the fact they intend to give 120, 000 tickets away to the poorest of the poor but for the rest, the prices, even at US$20, mean going to the games is out of the reach of the common folk this World Cup was suppose to touch.

Instead it will be a middle class, almost touristy event with the sounds and sights of Africa on its fringe rather than at its centre.