Eduardo Villegas has ceased to be the coach of Bolivia due to poor results in the Copa America Brazil 2019, which left the country's football in a "bad position" and without a rival for the upcoming FIFA matches, the Bolivian Football Federation (FBF) reported on Thursday.
"It has been deemed appropriate to terminate the contract with the director Eduardo Villegas and his coaching staff. All members of the executive committee approve the termination of the contract," said Antonio Decormis, president of the FBF selection committee, at a press conference in La Paz.
The federation made this decision after a meeting to evaluate Villegas' performance in the Copa America, in which Bolivia was eliminated in the group stage with three defeats in as many matches.
"The results obtained in the Copa America 2019 left us in a very bad position, which has caused us to lose credibility as a country and to not be considered competitive against other countries," Decormis said.
He also mentioned that the other national teams "have no interest" in playing against Bolivia and that the national team still "has no rival" for the next FIFA friendly matches. Decormis stated that they have already notified Villegas of this decision and thanked him for his work with the Bolivia national team.
The selection committee, chaired by Decormis, has seven days to evaluate the coaches' folders to decide who will replace Villegas in "this new process" and currently has "no name" in mind.
"We want to find a good coach who can take the team to the highest level, where no other team doubts playing against Bolivia," emphasized Decormis.
The leader recalled that Bolivia played against the world champion France in June of this year, which "was a success" for the federation and the country, although he regretted that they currently "cannot find a rival."
Regarding the possibility of the return of Venezuelan coach César Farías, who briefly led the national team in 2018, Decormis said that he could be a potential candidate like any other coach. According to Decormis, the national team now needs to be led by someone who has followed Bolivian and South American football closely.
In the Copa America, Bolivia lost 3-0 to host Brazil in the opening match, lost 1-3 against Peru, and suffered the same result against Venezuela. It has been considered the worst performance of the national team in the South American tournament. Villegas has been in charge of the Bolivian national team since January of this year. EFE