Bafana Expected to go Further than Second Round

May 28 - Everton Player-of-the-Season, Steven Pienaar, addressed the media last week saying that he was confident that Bafana would move through the second round of the World Cup.

He stated that "we are good enough to get past the first phase and further."

The midfielder continued: "I have been really impressed by the way the squad had developed under the coach. I believe we can do well. The spirit has never been better, the players believe in themselves and we are good to go." The team is coached by Coach Carlos Alberto Parreria.

The SA Football Association is expecting a sell-out crowd for South Africa's first performance.

According to Leslie Sedibe, Chief Executive of the SA Football Association, 55,000 tickets have already been sold by Wednesday morning and many more were expected to be sold - enough to fill the new multi billion rand stadium.

Bafana will be playing Mexico in the opening Group A match which is set to kick off in only two weeks time - on June 11. This Thursday night, Bafana will host Columbia in an international friendly game at the Soccer City.

Pienaar remarked that "it's great that we get to play a top class side like Columbia because they play a similar style to Mexico and this game will give us a feel for what we can expect on June 11."

Pienaar, despite being on the wanted list for big European clubs such as Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur, remains modest.

He claims not to know whether he is even playing in a big match yet. "Like all the other players, I will have to fight for my place", he said. "I am here to help my country do well in the World Cup as part of the squad. I am one player in a team."

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