The Qatar World Cup has not only claimed several favorites, disappointing in these first two stages of the competition.
The eliminations of teams such as Spain (round of 16 vs. Morocco), Belgium and Mexico, the latter with the penalty of having left in the first round, also left the teams vacant after the departure of their coaches.
Each case has been different. For Luis Enrique, for example, there was a desire for revenge, an illusion of crowning a renewal process that was very ambitious but was halfway done, only the way his team faded with the passing of the games in Qatar took away all the trust.
The Spanish Federation (RFEF) announced this Wednesday that the coach was no longer in charge and only a few hours later announced who will be his replacement: a coach from the house, with good success in youth teams, such as Luis de la Fuente. A dead king, king set.
Things seem less clear in selected others. Martínez, for example, resigned at the same press conference after the elimination in the first phase, one of the biggest disappointments of the tournament, considering the World Cup in Russia, in which he was a semifinalist. He felt that the cycle was over and he left, waiting for a new offer. It is said that the Belgian directive is analyzing the option of a duo formed by Thierry Henry and Thomas Vermaelen to replace him.
In the case of Martino, his was an announced end: goodbye to the World Cup and goodbye to the stage in charge of the Mexico team, which was also left out in the first round. Curiously, the possible replacement for him would be a Colombian who suffered, like ‘El Tata’, the constant harassment of the local press and a large part of North America: Juan Carlos Osorio.
One more name to the list of eliminated coaches who could not keep their posts in Otto Addo, the head of the Ghanaian delegation who also left in the first phase, denying Uruguay a goal that would have put them in the round of 16. One win and two losses, his balance.
And on the list, pending a decision, are two other prestigious coaches: Hansi Flick, from Germany, and Diego Alonso, from Uruguay. The future for both looks very dark after the first round eliminations of their teams and the support is almost nil. It could enter the market very soon.
Colombia was in a hurry
Many wonder why they did not wait until the end of the World Cup, when it was known that several coaches would remain free to negotiate for the start of the next qualifying stage for the 2026 Cup. In the absence of official answers, speculation.
The idea of the FCF would have been to win a couple of months of work with Néstor Lorenzo before the start of the new South American tournament, which would be next March. In fact, friendly matches have already been played on two FIFA dates and there will be one more in January, in addition to two microcycles in Barranquilla.
But why a DT with little experience as the top leader of a club like Melgar and not a World Cup coach like those who are free? Some versions ensure that the European DT will hardly be an option again after the bitter experience with Queiroz. But that’s not official. As if nothing talking about the Colombian Selection.
