Ecuador already thinking about coach for 2022 World Cup, says federation

The Ecuadorian Soccer Federation (FEF) plans to make a choice in August on a new national team coach for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, the federation's president Carlos Villacis, said.

"Starting the first week in August, after the World Cup in Russia, the new national team coach and all his staff will be with us to start preparing the team for the next six FIFA dates in September, October and November," Villacis said following the FEF's weekly meeting on Tuesday night, reports Efe.

Villacis said that after the FIFA matches, "the preparations will begin for next year's Copa America in Brazil."

"The big push is starting for Ecuador's national team and you can be sure that we're going to be in Qatar, we're monitoring our soccer players very closely, looking at the under-20 team currently coached by Jorge Celico," the FEF president said.

Ecuador qualified for the World Cup in South Korea and Japan in 2002, the 2006 World Cup in Germany and the 2014 World Cup in Brazil under Colombian coaches Hernan Dario "Bolillo" Gomez, Luis Fernando Suarez and Reinaldo Rueda, respectively.

Gomez is one of the options being considered by the FEF and has confirmed that he has spoken with federation officials.

Former Argentine national team coach Edgardo Bauza, who led Liga de Quito to a Copa Libertadores title in 2008, told reporters this week that he planned to meet with FEF representatives to discuss taking the national team's helm.

--IANS

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