Pienaar confident of making it to quarter-finals

Steven Pienaar, the South Africa midfielder, believes the hosts can reach the World Cup quarter-finals at the very least. They kick off their campaign on June 11 against Mexico before further group games against Uruguay and France. All three teams are ranked higher than South Africa by Fifa, but Pienaar, who plays for the English Premier League side Everton, is confident the hosts can cause an upset.

"I rate our chances of doing well in the tournament very high. In fact I am very confident that we will go further than the second round," he told reporters in Johannesburg yesterday. "We are definitely ready to go because the confidence is there, the spirit is there and I believe we will do well. "The team has been doing well and I have been following their progress since they started with the training camps - Durban, Brazil and Germany - because I am part and parcel of the team even though I was not there [as he was finishing the season with Everton]. As for me, I am hopeful that I will get a chance to play against Colombia."

Pienaar was left on the bench in South Africa's 1-1 draw with Bulgaria on Monday. They take on Colombia in another friendly tomorrow in a warm-up for their tournament opener. "As an individual I have always believed in myself, and I hope in the national team I will carry on the way I finished the season at my club," he added. "I know a few players of Colombia and it's going to be a big test for us." South Africa play another friendly against Guatemala next Monday. * PA