The search for the new technical director of the The Mexican Futbol selection it’s close to ending. AS has been able to learn that, given the negative reaction in public opinion regarding a hypothetical return of Miguel Herrera at the helm of the ‘Tricolor’, the FMF backtracked and, instead, redoubled its efforts to hire Marcelo Bielsa. The plan, now, is to take advantage of the time that the extension of the announcement originally scheduled for this Monday, January 30, gave them to carry out the negotiations with ‘El Loco’. 48 hours, from the start of Monday, to sign the former Leeds United manager; In the event that the parties reach an agreement, submit to the new process, with Bielsa at hand, next week.
In principle, Bielsa had negotiated with Jesús Martínez and Grupo Pachuca to act as a kind of adviser to Guillermo Almada, who was fighting with Herrera for the position that Gerardo Martino had vacated. The charge in favor of ‘Piojo’ and the exclusion of Martínez from the National Selection Commission cut short the process. Now, everything has taken a new turn. Given the change in plans, ‘El Loco’ would have changed his claims: from adviser to technical director, which would eliminate Almada from the equation. The next 48 hours will be crucial.
Marcelo Bielsa has been a candidate to take command of the Mexican National Team in various processes. His name was even closely linked to the replacement of Miguel Herrera, in 2015. Finally, the one chosen on that occasion was Juan Carlos Osorio. Former coach of two national teams, Argentina and Chile, he played in the 2002 and 2010 World Cups, respectively, with mixed results; in the first, he was eliminated in the group stage despite commanding one of the world title candidates; in the second, he took Chile to the round of 16 for the first time in 12 years, although he lost 3-0 to Brazil to return home. With the Sub 23 version of the ‘Albiceleste’, he won the gold medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics.
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In clubs, he began his career at Newell’s Old Boys, where he won two Argentine league titles; He passed through Mexico, where he landed in Atlas and America, before returning to his country to lead Vélez Sarsfield to glory. After a brief stay at Espanyol de Barcelona, he took charge of the Argentine National Team from 1998 to 2004. After forging the ‘Golden Generation’ of Chilean football, he accepted the proposal of Athletic Club de Bilbao, a team he led to the finals of the Copa del Rey and the Europa League in 2012. He then went through Olympique Marseille, Lazio (as he held for only two days) and Lille, before settling for three years at Leeds United, a club to which he returned to the Premier League after 16 years in the lower divisions of English football. In his first season in the Premier with ‘The Whites’, Bielsa managed to get the recently promoted team to finish the competition in ninth place in the overall standings; a four-game losing streak ended with his trial at Elland Road in February 2022.
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Movements in Liga MX
The FMF and Liga MX will announce at a press conference on Tuesday, January 31, at the general offices located in Toluca, the departure of Víctor Guevara, until today General Director of Operations, Competitions and Development of Liga MX and Ascenso MX. His position will be occupied by Francisco Iturbide. Guevara will be in charge of the vice presidency of the Leagues Cup, the new summer tournament (July-August) that will include the participation of clubs from the Liga MX and MLS. The appearance will also serve to publicize the report of the 2019-2022 World Cup process and the roadmap for 2026, the period in which Marcelo Bielsa would lead the post.
