Ricardo Gareca said goodbye this Monday to Vélez after a second cycle of barely twelve games, at a press conference in which he was accompanied by the club’s president, Sergio Rapisarda; the manager, Christian Bassedas; and the vice president, Diego González. In his address, the “Tiger” explained that the decision was “personal” since the intention was to “improve” the team and not “worse” it.
“It was not a determination of the leadership, it is my decision. They hired us to improve Vélez and not to make it worse“, expressed Gareca, who first said goodbye to the squad in the Olympic Village.
Gareca explained the reasons that led him to step aside after directing twelve games in his second spell at the club. “Vélez has the capacity and material to be much better”, considered the “Tiger”, which only obtained ten points with one win, seven draws and four losses.
Gareca’s determination came after last Saturday’s defeat in Córdoba, when the team fell 2-0 to Belgrano and then the coach did not give the usual press conference. “I would like to clarify that I did not have a decompensation. I did not want to do the press conference because I wanted to take time to analyze the situation. He also had a headache due to the bad blood of the match”, explained Gareca after closing his second cycle at “Fortín”.
“It was short but intense and exciting. We gave everything in our power.” pointed out the former DT of the Peruvian team. “I understand that Vélez is above all else,” said Gareca, who had generated the illusion of the fans with his return but today the team is in the lower zone of the standings along with five other competitors who have 18 points, just one unit above bottom club Arsenal. “Coaches can have long cycles, as happened to me here, but also short periods. Beyond affection, the results are what mark continuity”he admitted.
Asked about his relationship with the squad and mainly with the references, the 65-year-old “Tiger” ruled out any type of conflict. “They were the ones who supported us the most. He can’t say anything about the boys,” clarified. “The results just didn’t come through,” lamented the experienced coach, who had replaced Alexander Medina in office.
For his part, the president of Velez, Sergio Rapisarda, acknowledged that “There is a football crisis” but ruled out that this caused institutional problems. “The board of directors is solid”, said the head of the Liniers institution, one of those targeted by the fans who gathered on Sunday night at the gate of the José Amalfitani stadium.
“We are proud of the way we are running the club”, added Rapisarda, who was re-elected in March 2021 and has a mandate until the end of the year, although he has been seriously questioned by fans in recent weeks.