The Peruvian Federation is confident that Gareca will continue to command the national team

Despite the painful penalty loss to Australia that left his team out of the Qatar 2022 World Cup, the Peruvian Football Association (FPF) wants Ricardo Gareca to continue leading the national team for the next “four or five years”, according to what reported by the body’s sports director, Juan Carlos Oblitas.

“The priority is that Ricardo remains. Everything else is secondary. Even if it is true that there is a working group, we know perfectly well that everything goes hand in hand with the leadership that Ricardo has imposed over all these years, “Oblitas said at a press conference held in Lima on Friday.

The former footballer revealed that both he and the president of the FPF, Agustín Lozano, had met on Thursday with the Tiger and they had expressed a desire to continue the process that began in March 2015. “I’m not going to give the details, but I left that meeting upbeat. He will take a few days of reflection with his family, “she explained.

Oblitas stressed that in these seven years of work he had “an almost perfect understanding” with the coach and his technical staff and assured that this has helped “to keep this group afloat in this period and all that is. came after the successes of the selection.

With Gareca at the helm, Peru qualified for Russia 2018 and concluded a 36-year streak with no World Cup appearances. In addition, he was a finalist in the Copa América 2019 (lost to Brazil), third in the 2015 edition and fourth in last year’s edition. However, in the South American qualifiers for Qatar 2022 he finished fifth and saw his last chance expire when he fell in the playoffs against Australia.

“This is football and when we should have played the best match, we didn’t. It’s that simple, “Oblitas analyzed, but he was optimistic that the DT will understand that” this time we had to lose, but we still have a long way to go and we need him to continue leading this process. “

“I have a plan and that plan is Gareca, I don’t have plan B. I’m convinced he’s the right person for the next four or five years. We must focus on his continuity ”, said the sporting director of FPF.

Gareca, who in these seven years has led the team in 96 games (40 wins, 21 draws and 35 defeats) and whose contract ended after the crash against the Australians in Rayán (Qatar), has avoided making references to its continuity after that duel.

“This is not the time to talk about it. Now I am very hurt, like all boys and people. Such decisions are made after performing a thorough cold analysis. Once I arrive in Lima, with time, I will see what I will do ”, she remarked during the post-match conference.