Contradicted, this is how Jorge Célico showed himself in front of the new regulation of LigaPro to increase the number of foreign players to six for the 2020 season. The coach of the national under-23 team and coordinator of the national teams in the Ecuadorian Football Federation spoke about "a counterproductive decision" adopted for the top division of the local tournament.
"I do not agree at all with LigaPro's decision. From the point of view of a selector, what has been done is an inconvenience," said Célico in an interview with Machdeportes.
"In terms of the development of Ecuadorian football, it is counterproductive to allow clubs to have six foreigners, in addition to naturalized players. I think that as it was before, with four foreigners, it was enough, then it increased, hopefully this does not continue to increase," the strategist said.
The Argentine recalled that he proposed to the national leadership to add training categories and not to cut the evolution of young players. "I proposed it in the previous Congress (of the Ecuadorian Football Federation), but they didn't even give me a chance. Ecuador should generate an additional training category year after year, add an under-13 category, then a under-15 category, so that the training of the kids has a clearer and more frequent reality. When I raised that, they talked to me about costs, but comparing the costs of setting up a category does not compare with bringing in more foreign players. It doesn't seem logical to me," lamented Célico.
The coach did not question the "validity" of LigaPro's arguments, however, he pointed out that it "limits the space for the player, especially thinking about the national team. Even if what I say generates enmity, I will say what I think because that's how more damage is done to national football," commented Célico.
"In terms of the development of Ecuadorian football, it is counterproductive to allow clubs to have six foreigners."
Jorge Célico, coach of the pre-Olympic team
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