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Benni disappointed but not surprised All-time leading Bafana Bafana goalscorer Benni McCarthy expressed disappointment after missing the cut for the final 23-man Fifa World Cup™ squad announced on Tuesday, but added he was not surprised. The West Ham United striker, who has has represented his country on 79 occasions with 32 goals to his credit, was one of the five local players who failed to survive Bafana Bafana coach Carlos Alberto Parreira’s final snip for the world football showpiece starting in just under 10 days. Following the squad announcement, McCarthy’s management team was quick to release a statement saying that though he is disappointed, he understands the pragmatic reasoning behind the decision. McCarthy was recalled to national duty despite lingering concerns over his fitness and Parreira had hoped the player would improve given his international experience and goal-scoring prowess. Ultimately is was down to the cold, hard realisation that the player could not meet the standards required in the five key selection principles — physical condition, technical ability, tactical ability, discipline and team dynamics. To this end, McCarthy admitted there was very little the national selectors could do but leave him out. “My fitness level came into question after weeks recovering from my knee injury, but the coach still believed in me, as did I and the rest of the team, and I am grateful for that,” said McCarthy. Together with the technical team McCarthy worked hard on his physical fitness, but unfortunately time became his nemesis. “No one’s place in the final squad is a given,” said McCarthy. “We all gave it our best and pushed ourselves to our limits to make the cut. In the end it comes down to a head count. I am proud to have been given the privilege to have been capped in the South African national squad, but unfortunately this time it was not to be.” McCarthy, a Uefa Champions League winner with FC Porto, had some words of consolation for the other four who missed out. “All the players who made the national call-up should be proud. We did not fail we just didn’t make the final 23; we are still a part of the team if not the squad. “We have a strong team everyone will be proud of and I am in no doubt we will make our mark with the ground swell of support the team has been receiving of late. If the carnival spirit of the Super 14 semifinal and final is a measure of the united support we are to expect for Bafana, then I see us excelling. My role now is to join in that support,” he said. Source – Supersport.com 2010 World Cup Blog for the Fans

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Benni not surprised by selection