Led by Argentine Gustavo Costas, the Bolivian team lost their first three games in the 2026 South American qualifying round, a situation that bothers both Altiplano fans and journalists.

Last Thursday, Ecuador went to La Paz and won 2-1 against La Verde, who had previously been defeated by Argentina at Hernando Siles, and were humiliated, as a guest, by Brazil at the beginning of the tournament.

All the criticisms gained strength against the former champion coach with Barcelona SC in 2012, whose media on the Altiplano are already calling for his departure.

“September 2023 Thirty years have passed since La Verde qualified for the World Cup against Ecuador in Guayaquil. The best team in the history of Bolivian football, led by an elite coach, Xabier Azkargorta, from the fighting Basque country,” reads the column of communicator Mané Montalva on the portal. Urgent.

“October 2023. It’s been 27 years since the Greens last won against Ecuador. The group of Green players in transition has the misfortune of having a coach without charisma and leadership, who relies on luck and who has no idea about the players at his disposal. How we lack precise phrases, constant motivation, strategy and love of Basque red, yellow and green!” he added.

The columnist is harsh on Costas and looks back on a series of games that his national team failed to win.

“That’s the only way to explain that, after a year in Bolivia, more than 10 games including friendlies and ‘microcycles’, the current coach of La Verde managed to stop, almost by accident, a moderately well-armed team only in the second half of the game against Ecuador. It had to be the sensational Henry Vaca, out of the war zone, with more than two days of planes, airports and practically putting on his football boots in Siles, who led the team in a second half in which Bolivia honestly deserved a 3-1 victory as in the era Azkargort. Vaca, who yesterday (Thursday) showed technical quality worthy of the class of 93/94, entered in the second half. “Who can explain it?” He said.

“There are Ecuadorian players that Vaca danced with in Siles who are worth 80 million euros (which in truth shows the inflation of world football, because Ecuador has passing figures well above their level, but that is another topic). “So… why didn’t Costas call him up from the first game against Brazil?” he added.

He also criticized the fact that due to the contract issue and his high-profile termination, the Bolivian Football Federation (FBF) did not remove the Argentine from his position.

“It’s clear that La Verde’s brilliant second half against Ecuador had nothing to do with Costas’ improvisations. He is a person who does not know the footballers he works with. He barely survived the international press conference, and in the end (once again) Henry Vaca was the one who gave the lead for Bolivia in front of the press. In other words, FBF hired a weakling. We understand that the federation does not thank him for his services because Costas has done something good (for him): he has a release clause in his contract with a very high figure,” he said.

“However, if Costas, the ‘accidental manager’, has the slightest desire to work and arrange the team that played in the second half last night in Asunción, I do not rule out the joy that comes from another era,” he concluded. (D)