Johannesburg — PETULANT Blackburn Rovers striker Benni McCarthy and Spanish- based defender Nasief Morris are expected to be top of the list of players that returning national soccer team coach Carlos Alberto Parreira will demand that the South African Football Association (Safa) recall to Bafana Bafana today.

The Bafana squad to face Japan and Jamaica will be announced in Johannesburg on Thursday.

Insiders said yesterday that Parreira had insisted on the return of the two players after communicating with former Bafana coach Joel Santana, and his assistants Pitso Mosimane and Jairo Leal over the past few days.

"We will know (today) if Safa will accept some of the surprises that Parreira has recommended to the squad," the insider said.

"He (Parreira) is the big boss and it is highly unlikely that his wishes will not be granted by Safa, even if they hate the idea of McCarthy returning to the national team.

"We understand that McCarthy is overweight but it seems Parreira is not perturbed by this."

Santana dumped McCarthy from Bafana after he openly defied his call- up letter to friendlies against Norway and Portugal in March, claiming he was injured. Blackburn doctors said there was nothing wrong with him , but he insisted that his hamstring was injured.

Santana ignored calls to recall him for subsequent internationals and the enfant terrible of South African football was forced to acquaint himself with his television set during the Confederations Cup in June. McCarthy came on as a second-half substitute during Blackburn's English premier league 2-0 defeat to Manchester United at the weekend and it seems like he did enough in those eight minutes to convince Parreira.

Morris was unceremoniously dumped from the Bafana squad on the eve of the Confederations Cup squad after the defender was disrespectful to Santana.

Morris was the highest-profile omission from the final list that was submitted by Santana to football governing body Fifa after the Brazilian coach decided that the player's poor attitude would be disruptive to the rest of the squad.

The return of the two players will come as no surprise as Parreira was such a doting fan of McCarthy's he once referred to the petulant one as a luxury for South African football.

It seems the Brazilian disregarded warnings from Santana that McCarthy was a potentially disruptive influence to the squad and he will finally make his return to a team he turned his back on in March.

More surprises are expected in a squad that Parreira selected on the basis of what Santana, Mosimane and Leal told him.

It would be a huge surprise if SuperS port United star Daine Klate is not in the squad after shining brighter than any other player in the domestic premiership last month.