Ecuador national team: in the last 40 years, only three nationalities have been head coaches

Jordi Cruyff, despite a discreet career as a coach, limited to low-profile jobs in China and Israel, virtually no one in the national sports press questioned his short career when he was announced as the team’s coach. There were no objections when the Dutchman was presented by the president of the Ecuadorian football federation as the person who will turn the football country into a “world power”. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, which caused isolation, Cruyff did not even lead training sessions.

The ammunition was already gone at that moment. They were fired against any Ecuadorian professional listed as an option to fill the position or against a local coach who publicly expressed his desire to command the Tricolor.

When in July 2020, Álex Aguinaga admitted in an interview for EL UNIVERSO, -when Cruyff’s position became vacant-, that he wanted to get a chance as DT of the national team, he withstood a barrage of criticism. There was one released by someone who today shares microphones with the great ex-Necaxe midfielder. “Aguinaga likes to sell, promote and ask for interviews.” All that was said, it was clarified, “with respect”.

Did you expect the opposite, almost universal reaction? In August 2020, this newspaper asked Aguinaga about the sports journalism sector’s rejection of his eventual appointment. Ibarreño replied: “I’m not worried about what they might think. Everyone has their own candidates and tastes to choose from. Everyone is free to say what suits them. Whether I expected it or not is irrelevant. I didn’t direct, but I’m not out of date.”

‘Fascinated by strangers’

Almost three years ago, coach Octavio Zambrano, when no agreement was reached with Argentine Gustavo Alfaro, considered that the man from Guayaquil “doesn’t have the profile” to lead the team. And Carlos Torres Garcés was said to be “not updated” and also “there are rumors that we don’t like”.

Zambrano spoke to EL UNIVERSO in August 2020 and, among other things, said this about the absence of the home team as a FEF alternative: “The question here is why the Ecuadorian coach was categorically left out of the selection from the beginning?”.

The coach, who has UEFA accreditation to work in any European country, was asked in 2020 if the sentence “you are the first to list the names of foreign coaches” was addressed to sports journalists in the country. With a laugh, Zambrano, who has managed MLS, Hungary, Moldova, Colombia, Canada’s senior team, and today is in El Salvador, replied: “It’s good that you said that; that is a great truth. In Ecuador, there is fascination and idolatry towards the foreign coach”.

In 2023, after Ricardo Gareca’s option fell through, after 50 days of negotiations between Tiger and the Federation, Ecuadorian surnames were again mentioned as a possibility. Without giving any arguments, they were promptly dismissed at the moment of disqualification. “Zambrano talks a lot”, “Aguinaga’s moment has passed”, “there is no Ecuadorian coach with personality”. And Félix Sánchez Bas arrived, who narrowly entered FIFA tournament history with Qatar at the 2022 World Cup.

four decades

In the last 40 years, only a trio of Ecuadorian-born strategists have sat on the bench of the senior team, as head coaches (not as interim). The first of them, in that period, was Ernesto Guerra Galarza from Quito, in 1983.

In times when the activity of the Tricolor used to be zero, like in 1982 when there were no official and friendly matches, when the World Cup qualifiers were decided in only four sessions and when the Copa América was played every four years (recently there were editions Conmebol tournaments in 2015 and 2016, and then in 2019 and 2021), in the Federation there was no custom of hiring a DT for a four-year process.

Guerra agreed to lead Ecuador in the 1983 Copa América, in which the team shared a group with Brazil and Argentina. With no fixed venue, the format consisted of back-to-back matches in each team’s home country. with the known muzzle they lost two matches against the Brazilians (0-1 and 5-0) and drew with the Albiceleste at Atahualpa and Monumental in Buenos Aires (2-2, both times). These four official matches, plus two friendlies, made up Guerra’s brief era from the capital.

In January 1999, Luis Chiriboga, at the beginning of his phase as FEF president, took Carlos Sevilla Dalgo as coach of Trio, a professional who had accompanied him several times when the leader managed Deportivo Quito. Imbabureño is the last Ecuadorian coach at the Copa América. Sevilla went to Paraguay in 1999, and in Group C the team was last after losing to Argentina, Uruguay and Colombia. Sevilla was fired on July 7 and replaced by Hernán Darío Gómez three months later.

the last case

Cotopax’s Sixto Vizuete replaced Luis Fernando Suárez after the Colombian suffered a disastrous 5-1 defeat by Paraguay in World Cup 2010 qualifying.Vizuete brought joy back into the team on his official debut. Peru were thrashed 5-1 in Quito on their way to South Africa. The 2007 Pan American Games gold medalist started as an interim but was quickly confirmed as the starting manager.

And although Vizuete was only one point away from qualifying for the playoffs for the World Cup, because he was Ecuadorian, not only the media doubted his ability. Édison Méndez resigned from Tri when the one from Guaytacama took command. In 2008, the midfielder revealed the reason for his decision: “I have nothing against Vizueta, but I think the Federation should think carefully.” We should think about a coach who looks at the bench with respect. I would like a coach with a better set-up”. Although he did not quit, Méndez later returned to the team, with Vizuete as coach. (D)