Bielsa to coach Chile v USA
Reuters - Wednesday 29 December 2010, 11:47
SANTIAGO - Chile's enigmatic coach Marcelo
Bielsa will coach the South Americans in a January friendly
against the United States, despite announcing early last month
that he was quitting the job, a federation official said.
Bielsa, who led Chile in South Africa this year where they
won their first World Cup matches for 48 years, resigned after
Jorge Segovia was elected head of the Chilean federation (ANFP)
in November.
However, Segovia was later declared ineligible, leading to
speculation that Bielsa - who had previously extended his
contract - would stay on. A new election could take place next
month.
"Marcelo will prepare the match against the U.S, because
it's in his contract," Juan Carlos Berliner, head of the ANFP's
national team's department, told Chilean media.
"He will take the appropriate decision once the elections
have been held, but until then he will continue to work as usual
with the senior national team."
Chile face the U.S. in Los Angeles on January 22.
Spanish-born Segovia won the ANFP's presidential election on
November 4 but the board of directors then ruled he had been
ineligible because of commercial links between his businesses
and his club Union Espanola, of which he was president.
The ANFP's tribunal of honour ratified this decision and
called for a new election, which is due to be held in January.
Bielsa is immensely popular in Chile, having taken the team
to the World Cup for the first time in 12 years, where they
progressed to the last 16 before losing to Brazil.
Their 1-0 win over Honduras in the group stage was their
first win at a World Cup finals since 1962, which Chile hosted.