CARACAS:
Venezuela sacked coach Fernando Batista on Wednesday night time, a day after their World Cup qualification dream died and after an intervention by the nation’s president.
Information of Argentine Batista’s sacking, alongside his total backroom workers, got here after President Nicolas Maduro had known as for a “restructuring of the technical workers”.
That was 24 hours after Venezuela, often known as the Vinotinto, have been thumped 6-3 at dwelling by neighbours Colombia, ending their hopes of reaching a World Cup for the primary time.
“Yesterday we suffered a painful defeat,” mentioned Maduro.
“All of Venezuela calls for a restructuring of the technical workers of the Vinotinto, a reorganisation of the technique, of the doctrine and of the road of fight and exhausting work.”
The choice by the game’s world governing physique FIFA to increase the 2026 World Cup in North America from 32 to 48 groups had boosted the hopes of groups like Venezuela — the one aspect within the CONMEBOL federation by no means to qualify for a finals — to make it to the worldwide extravaganza for the primary time.
However their defeat to Colombia meant that Bolivia — 1-0 winners over five-time champions Brazil — pipped them to a spot within the intercontinental play-offs.
Peru, whose hopes of World Cup qualification had ended earlier than the ultimate spherical of matches, additionally sacked their coach, Oscar Ibanez.
They completed the group stage with a depressing file of two wins and simply six objectives alongside 10 defeats from their 18 matches.
