Parreira out to bring World Cup integrity to South Africa

South Africa will be trying to raise the profile of football at home while Mexico will want to spoil the party when the teams meet tomorrow in the World Cup\'s opening game.



The match is scheduled to start at 9 a.m. Jamaica time.



In a nation where most of its international sports\' success has been at rugby union and cricket, South Africa coach Carlo Alberto Parreira is out to lift the image of the sport played by the vast majority of the population.



South Africa are on a 12-game unbeaten run in friendlies under the 1994 World Cup-winning coach for Brazil. He said his goal is to bring integrity to a team, which had lost eight out of nine games before he returned to the job a year ago.



Parreira described the attack-minded Mexicans as the most daring team at the World Cup, but he and Captain Aaron Mokoena believe they can win before taking on former champions Uruguay and France in other Group ‘A’ games.



Parreira selected the same starting lineup that beat World Cup qualifier Denmark 1-0 in their last warmup game on Saturday.



Mexico have won eight of their last 12 games, losing twice, and coach Javier Aguirre has lifted the confidence of a team which appeared demoralized under former coach Sven-Goran Eriksson amid fears it might not qualify.