Johannesburg  - Brazilian Carlos Parreira will be unveiled Friday as coach of South Africa, replacing compatriot Joel Santana who was dismissed on Monday, South African media reported Thursday.

"We will have a new coach on Friday, but it's someone who has been here before...," the Sowetan daily quoted a source close to football federation SAFA's leadership as saying.

"There is unanimous agreement that it is too late to go for a new coach at this stage, we need someone who is familiar with Bafana Bafana and South African soccer set-up," the unnamed source added.

If confirmed, Parreira would be returning to the post he vacated last year for personal reasons when he also suggested Santana as his successor.

The Sowetan said the new SAFA leadership would make an offer to Parreira on Thursday.

The federation would also announce Jomo Sono as the new technical director of the national team, a position he held when the team won the 1996 Africa Cup of Nations.

"Parreira will be named the new coach of Bafana Bafana by SAFA at their first national executive meeting tomorrow since they were elected three weeks ago," the report said.

Parreira, who led Brazil to the 1994 World Cup title, had this week said he was "willing to evaluate" a return to South Africa to lead the host team in the 2010 World Cup.

"There is a possibility that there may be an invitation, and I would be willing to evaluate it, if it becomes concrete," Parreira told the Brazilian television channel GloboNews in an interview Monday.(dpa)