The Peruvian soccer team dreams of returning to the World Cup

The persistent illusions of more than thirty million Peruvians to see their national soccer team in a World Cup after 34 years rely on their coach, Argentine Ricardo Gareca, who in an interview with Efe stated that his team has the necessary level to compete in that tournament.

He says this after finishing in June in the fifteenth position of the FIFA world ranking, their best placement in history, but warns that their chances of reaching the 2018 World Cup in Russia depend on being a solid unit in their last four South American qualifying matches.

- How do you rate Peru's historic position in the FIFA rankings?
It is a recognition for everyone, especially for the Federation and the players, but we have to sustain it, because it is pointless to rise only to fall afterwards.


- Is this proof that Peru has the level to compete in a World Cup?
We are convinced that yes. We have raw talent, very important players, and that opens up possibilities for us. The South American qualifiers are very complicated, but we are in the final stage where everything is decided.

- How will Peru approach these final four matches against Bolivia, Ecuador, Argentina, and Colombia?
We are well positioned, but we won't have a chance if we are not a united team and give our all physically. We have talented players, but our options are reduced if we don't translate that into a great sacrifice at the collective level, with total commitment both on and off the field.

- Are you aware that to qualify for the World Cup you will have to achieve unprecedented results for Peru, such as a victory in Quito?
I am aware of everything, but I am a man of football, and I know that in football, when a team is growing and the players are convinced, things become more feasible.

- Do you feel pressured to call up Jefferson Farfán (Lokomotiv Moscow) again after being absent from all the call-ups since March of last year?
Farfán is a figure in Peru because of everything he has done for the national team. We would like him to be well and in his prime. That's what we always look for since we arrived, but he hasn't been able to find continuity. We always take him into consideration and are waiting to see how the preseason begins.

- Was it difficult to leave out figures like Claudio Pizarro and Farfán from the call-ups?
We continued with the group that had performed well in the 2015 Copa America in Chile, but it didn't go well for us because some players stopped having continuity with their clubs. In the Copa America Centenario, we had the opportunity to call up and live with players who were in better condition, and we focused more on the local tournament to expand the pool of players.

- Which players do you feel have improved the most since the Copa America Centenario?
There are some like Christian Cueva (Sao Paulo), Édison Flores, Miguel Trauco (Flamengo), and Pedro Aquino (Monterrey) who have improved a lot since they started playing abroad, and others who haven't become fixed starters in their teams yet, like Renato Tapia (Feyenoord), but they are very important for the national team.

- Would you like to renew your contract for the next qualifiers?
The only thing on my mind is the match against Bolivia. Thinking about anything else would distract me. I am used to evaluating at the end of the process. It has been a very tough two and a half years. I will take my time to consider a renewal, just like the Federation will, and then we will make a decision based on what is best.

- Do you think it is right for the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to decide whether to maintain the sanction against Bolivia after the match against Peru?
It would be important for it to be expressed before. We are all playing for definitive matters. They are important points, but that doesn't change our need to win.

- Do you think that the racist comments made by a Peruvian journalist towards the Ecuadorian national team can work against Peru?
It will be a heated qualifying match, just like all the ones that remain, but those unfortunate comments cannot be attributed to it. I am certain that it was an isolated comment, with a reprehensible impact, of course. We have to learn to coexist in equality.

- Did the Argentine Football Association (AFA) make the right choice in appointing Jorge Sampaoli to coach the national team?
Martino, Bauza, and Sampaoli are three coaches of great importance. I believe that Argentina has problems it didn't have before because it failed to respect processes. It is always good to have continuity instead of experiencing a situation like the one Argentina is in, regardless of the reputation of the coach or the figure of Messi.