The Clausura
Melgar continues to dream of the Copa Sudamericana. The Promotions and Reserves Tournament is finally taking place as normal, and the women's national team is competing in the Copa America. However, Peruvian football is on standby. Since last Friday, when the Peruvian Football Federation officially announced the departure of Ricardo Gareca through its social media, the future of our football is uncertain. The departure of the 'Tigre' not only means the farewell of the coach with the most matches in the history of the national team, but also, for now, the departure of his right-hand man: Juan Carlos Oblitas, former sports director of the team.
Lozano's Meeting with Oblitas
Given the uncertainty of Oblitas' continuity, the president of the Peruvian Football Federation, Agustín Lozano, decided to arrange a meeting with Oblitas, which took place yesterday at the Videna facilities. Lozano's objective, after leading the negotiations with Gareca in Buenos Aires, is to convince Oblitas to continue leading the national sports management, despite the fact that Gareca will no longer be the coach of the national team. In fact, Oblitas' presence would be essential to reduce the number of existing coaching candidates and present them with the sports project for the 2026 World Cup and the complete restructuring of the Peruvian football system that Lozano and the Federation have been working on for the past few months and supposedly showed to Gareca in the Argentine capital.
Ricardo Gareca arrived in Peru to give a farewell press conference.
Oblitas' Role
A little over a month ago, in a press conference, Oblitas explained the intentions he had, along with Gareca, to take charge of Peruvian football, from the neglected youth divisions to the senior national team. "The issue of youth and renewal has been addressed. We want to get more involved in this renewal process. In terms of the core team, practically the majority will not be part of the next process. What we need to see is who comes after them. I believe that there are players in the middle who are having good seasons and the time we have until the start of the qualifiers is sufficient for Ricardo, if he stays, to see them and use them as a support for the core team," he said at that time. The plan remains the same, only without Gareca.
Oblitas' Meeting with Lozano
Oblitas, who held the position from January 2015 until last month when Peru fell to Australia in the playoffs, will have another meeting with Lozano during this week. Once they agree on personal and professional terms, they can address the economic aspect, a determining factor for Gareca's discontinuity. If Oblitas stays, whoever takes charge of the Peruvian national team for the next qualifying process will find in him an important support and, above all, a man who knows perfectly well what it is like to work in our football. Let's hope it turns out that way.
The Peruvian Football Federation has reportedly contacted Marcelo Bielsa to be the new coach of the national team.
'Becca', Crespo, and Reynoso in the Mix
Ricardo Gareca will be giving a farewell press conference today at noon at a well-known hotel in the capital, but the Peruvian Football Federation is already considering who could replace him for the next qualifying process. Among the options are the Argentinians Sebastián Beccacece and Hernán Crespo, who currently coach Defensa y Justicia (Argentina) and Al-Duhail SC (Qatar), respectively. On the other hand, there is also the possibility that Juan Máximo Reynoso, a national champion with Universitario de Deportes, Melgar, and Cruz Azul, could take over the national team. Reynoso is available after leaving 'La Máquina Cementera' in May of this year.
Costly. Crespo has an important clause in Al-Duhail. Photo: AFP
When and Where will Ricardo Gareca's Farewell Conference be?
The 'Tigre' will give a final press conference to say goodbye to all the Peruvian fans who supported him during the football processes. The event will take place on Tuesday, July 19, at the Hilton Hotel in Miraflores, starting at 12:00 p.m. (Peruvian time).