Nov. 10 (Bloomberg) -- Former South African soccer captain Lucas Radebe warned his country’s national team players they risk making the World Cup a “disaster” if they fail to make it through the opening round.

The team fired its Brazilian coach Joel Santana last month after winning just once in its last nine matches and is ranked 74 in FIFA’s world rankings. The hosts have to improve with Africa’s first World Cup set to kick-off in less than seven months in Johannesburg, said Radebe who led his nation in the 1998 and 2002 tournaments.

“It will be a disaster if we don’t do well,” he said in an interview in London yesterday. “We are the hosts. I think we’ve got all the talent and we’ve put a lot of money into making this a success. Part of it is the team being successful.”

While much of the focus outside South Africa has been on the country’s efforts to complete infrastructure projects in time for the first match on June 11, attention at home has centered on the Bafana Bafana, as the team is known locally.

South Africa failed to qualify for January’s African Cup of Nations in Angola and is ranked 17th among teams from its continent, behind the likes of Congo, Uganda and Burkino Faso. That’s raised fears the team may become the first host to fail to make the second round.

Madagascar Success

South Africa has faced growing criticism in domestic media since making the semifinals of June’s Confederations Cup. It’s lost all but one of its preparation games, with the only success coming against 154th-ranked Madagascar 1-0 on Sept. 19. Former coach Carlos Alberto Parreira was reenlisted to replace Santana in October, 18 months after quitting to look after his sick wife.

“We’ve missed out on the (Cup of Nations) in Angola, which could have been a great test of our strength and had a change of manager as well that has destabilized the team,” Radebe said. “The only thing we need from now on is to have consistency. It’s all about building the confidence and making sure the fans get behind the team.”

South Africa automatically gets entry to the World Cup as hosts. The squad and the 31 qualifiers will find out their first-round opponents in the Dec. 4 draw. While the hosts may struggle, Radebe predicts the competition may see its first African winner.

“This time it’s an opportunity for an African team to go all the way,” he said. The Ivory Coast and Ghana have already sealed places. The remaining three berths will be decided later this month.

Danny Jordaan, the tournament’s chief executive officer, said he’s confident of overcoming any lingering fears over South Africa’s readiness to stage sport’s most watched event.

“The stadiums, road, airport expansion programs, all of the infrastructure programs have now come to an end,” Jordan told Bloomberg News. “We are now focusing on bringing the fans, getting the tickets, getting the accommodation, transportation and that we’ll fine tune after the draw.”

To contact the reporter on this story: Tariq Panja in London on tpanja@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: November 9, 2009 18:01 EST