The Chilean press and fans demanded this Wednesday the departure of Argentine coach Ricardo Gareca from The Red and the dismissal of the president of the National Professional Football Association (ANFP), Pablo Milad, and they almost give up qualification for the 2026 World Cup after the win against Colombia.
“The expedition of the Chilean team to coffee lands was a disaster,” the newspaper published The Third and added: “The games and the final destination of the road (Canada, United States and Mexico 2026) are passing by. seems as far away as it is utopian”, said about Chile, last in the classification with just five points.
“Lazy, without ideas”, but above all the feeling of helplessness and neglect, without even the attitude of rebelling, was the conclusive analysis of the Chilean sports journalist Juan Cristobal Guarello, who attacked Gareca extremely harshly, even accusing him of being lazy.
After the painful fall against Colombia 4-0, The Red with Gareca in front accumulates four consecutive defeats (Argentina 3-0, Bolivia and Brazil 1-2) in the qualifiers, which caused the coach himself and the president of the ANFP to open the exit doors with their post-match statements. “I need to calm down, be with the people on my coaching staff.”
“I think so, it is difficult to sustain the process. But I don’t have the answer,” Gareca said in a press conference at the end of the game.
Minutes later Pablo Milad delved into the controversy by assuring that “we are going to wait a few days. Any decision that is made will always be cold” and also reflected the discouragement about the situation that the Argentine’s process is going through.
“When you play relatively well and lose, the appetite for football stability is whetted which is then completely diluted with many errors and football instability that worries us,” added the leader, for whom the press and fans also demand his departure due to what they consider “his terrible management” of Chilean football.
“Nothing to rescue: Colombia beats a Chile that had no answers,” titled the portal The Fourthwhich summarizes the regret of the Chileans by highlighting that the team is last in the South American table, adding only five of 30 disputed points.
Names of successors are even beginning to emerge. “There is someone named in Juan Pinto Durán who can replace him: Nicolás Córdova,” The Redgol website published about the current coach of the Chilean U-20.
Former Chilean technicians consulted advocate for a local replacement, instead of a foreign one, and mentioned Jaime Garcia who directed Santiago Wanderers in Primera B and Gustavo Huertascoach of Cobresal in the First Division.
When?
Arturo Vidalthe coach’s most vocal detractor, said prior to the game in Barranquilla that “If Chile loses to the Colombian team, the president must seriously analyze and take measures regarding the continuity of Gareca”.
Chilean analysts expressed that the exit could be immediate Given the limited possibilities of The Red to go to the World Cupwhile others project that it will be on the double date in November when they face Peru and Venezuela.
“The sprint starts from getting six out of six against Peru and Venezuela, you have to win in Lima to start believing in something, but everything indicates that Gareca is going to finish where he came from,” expressed ESPN panelist Jorge Gómez referring to what was his successful story as a coach in Peru.
Various Chilean media report that one of the obstacles to the Argentinean’s departure is the inability of the Federation to pay you the cost of the termination clauseand that they would wait for his resignation.
Get out the calculator
In Chile they also do the math to fight, at least, for the seventh place that gives access to the play-offs, from which it is seven points, place currently occupied by Bolivia with 12 units. “In the eight games that La Roja must play, if a historical review is made in the qualifiers, there is still a chance of reaching the 2026 World Cup, since the usual results give it that option,” the portal reported. AlAireLibre.
The record indicates that they need to total between 18 and 22 points at the end of the tie to fight for a place: “On the way to Qatar, 19 were obtained, and they finished in seventh place (…), so if what always happened is repeated, there is still a chance of reaching the 2026 tournament… even if it is via repechage,” the media completed.
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