Argentine Guillermo Barros Schelotto was chosen this Wednesday as the new coach of Paraguay replacing his compatriot Eduardo Berizzo, who was dismissed last Thursday due to disappointing results in the 2022 Qatar Qualifiers.
The Paraguayan Football Association (APF) announced the hiring of Guillermo Barros Schelotto and his brother Gustavo as assistants to the Paraguay National Team.
Barros Schelotto has the immediate challenge of turning around the Albirroja's performance in the remaining six rounds of the Conmebol Qualifiers.
Barros Schelotto faces a difficult task in Paraguay for the Qualifiers
'Toto' Berizzo left his position hours after the 4-0 defeat against Bolivia in La Paz on October 14.
As a result, the team dropped to eighth place in the South American Qualifiers with 12 points out of 36 possible, far from the four places that grant direct access to Qatar, and from fifth place, currently occupied by Uruguay, which grants the right to play in the playoffs.
The hiring of Guillermo Barros Schelotto was announced tonight by Robert Harrison, president of the APF, who still needs to set a date to introduce the new coaching staff.
The agreement states that the new coach, who has not coached since October 2020 when he left the Los Angeles Galaxy, has signed a contract that initially ties him to the 2024 Copa America.
The first official match for the new coach of Paraguay will be on November 11 against the Chilean national team at the Defensores del Chaco stadium in Asuncion, during the thirteenth round of the Qualifiers. Subsequently, they will visit Colombia in the Caribbean city of Barranquilla.
The hiring of the Barros Schelotto brothers has divided opinions, at least among local football figures.
Former goalkeeper José Luis Chilavert stated in an interview that the former footballers "do not have the resume or the capacity to lead the Paraguayan national team". (EFE)