Carlos Alberto Parreira again takes hold of South Africa coaching reins

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Without doing so much as lifting a finger, Major League Soccer’s New York Red Bulls found themselves in the news on four continents today.

First, there was a report in the Spanish sports daily AS that FC Barcelona and France national team forward Thierry Henry would leave Barcelona after next year’s World Cup and join the Red Bulls, whose new stadium in Harrison, N.J., will open in spring.

Henry, 32, has long been linked to a move to MLS, with New York and Seattle the two clubs most frequently mentioned. There was no comment from the Red Bulls on the AS report.

Next, Carlos Alberto Parreira, who coached Brazil to its 1994 World Cup triumph in the U.S. and later coached the Red Bulls when they were still known as the New York/New Jersey MetroStars, announced in Brazil that he would be returning to take charge of South Africa’s World Cup team.

South African soccer federation spokesman Morio Sanyane later confirmed the appointment.

Parreira, 66, coached South Africa in 2007 and 2008 before stepping down to return to Brazil and care for his wife, who was ill. He was replaced by another Brazilian, Joel Santana, but Santana was fired last week after South Africa, the 2010 World Cup host, had lost eight of its last nine games.

Finally, in New York, the Red Bulls’ veteran Spanish midfielder Albert Celades announced that he will retire from professional soccer after Saturday’s season finale against Toronto FC, the last soccer match to be played in Giants Stadium before it is torn down. Celades, 34, also played for Barcelona and Real Zaragoza in Spain and for Bordeaux in France.

‘I feel blessed to have been part of the most important teams in the world,’ Celades said. ‘Now, for my family and I, it is time to go back home.’

-- Grahame L. Jones