Before I am labelled unpatriotic and impatient, let me declare that I fully support all our national teams, be it soccer, rugby or cricket. Having said that, I am not sure what direction Carlos Alberto Parreira is taking Bafana Bafana.

Before I am labelled unpatriotic and impatient, let me declare that I fully support all our national teams, be it soccer, rugby or cricket. Having said that, I am not sure what direction Carlos Alberto Parreira is taking Bafana Bafana.

Playing European teams is still early for us. We are unable to beat the likes of Zambia and yet we prepare for the African Cup of Nations by playing an under strength Italian national team - and they still beat us.

With the tough draw expected today for the next edition of the African Cup of Nations, how is the national coach expecting to do well against the giants from the north of our continent? If he thinks that we will understand that we are building the team for the 2010 World Cup when he is demolished in January, he should forget it!

Please, talk some sense into this Brazilian! Invite Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal, etc and beat them. This will restore the long-lost pride of the Clive Barker era. The game against an under strength Italy was very disappointing.

Thank God the likes of Gattuso, Pirlo and Canavaro did not feature. It surely would have been a massacre of devastating proportions.

After all these disappointing performances by our soccer national teams, hopefully the Springboks will make us proud tomorrow.

Frans Nkwana, Johannesburg