Parreira handed S.A. work permit

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JOHANNESBURG, South Africa -- South Africa's new coach, Carlos Alberto Parreira, was finally granted a work permit on Monday after an embarrasing spat between the government and the football chiefs hosting the 2010 World Cup.

The Home Affairs Minister announced that the South African Football Association (SAFA) had now handed in all the remaining paperwork and the Brazilian's application had been approved.

"Today, SAFA submitted all the outstanding documents for the head coach, and he has now been issued with a work permit," a statement said.

However his assistant, fellow countryman Jairo Leal, has still to secure permission to work alongside the 64-year-old who won the 1994 World Cup while in charge of his native Brazil.

Parreira signed a four-year deal with SAFA worth some $8,000 dollars a day more than six months ago, and arrived in the country on a tourist visa at the end of January to take up his duties.

He held a three-day training camp in Johannesburg last week with a 23-man squad and also attended a number of local games to identify potential Bafana Bafana players before it emerged that he was working illegally.

SAFA has admitted that it was tardy in beginning the process of applying for employment visas for Parreira and Leal -- and last Friday officials were requested by the department to urgently submit the outstanding documents.

South Africa has notoriously stringent work visa requirements for foreigners, including detailed medical and police records from their homelands and other places where they have worked.

Parreira has also previously coached in the United States, Turkey, Spain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Ghana.

Draw for the 2007 Cosafa Castle Cup:

GROUP A (Maputo, Mozambique)

Madagascar v Zimbabwe

Mozambique v Seychelles

Semifinals on April 28 and the group final on April 29

GROUP B (Somhlolo, Swaziland)

Malawi v South Africa

Swaziland v Mauritius

Semifinals to be played on May 26 and the group final on May 27

GROUP C (Gaborone, Botswana)

Angola v Lesotho

Botswana v Namibia

Semifinals on August 11 and the group final on August 12

Group winners will join holders Zambia in the semifinal draw.

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