Gallego named new Colo Colo coach
Reuters - Tuesday 22 February 2011, 21:29
SANTIAGO, Feb 22 (Reuters) - Former Argentina and River
Plate midfielder Americo Gallego was appointed coach of Colo
Colo on Tuesday.
Chile's most successful club, who won the Libertadores Cup
in 1991, are bottom of the Apertura championship with one point
from four matches after their worst start to a season.
"Colo Colo announce they have reached complete agreement
with Mr Americo Ruben Gallego for the Argentine trainer to take
charge of coaching our first team," the club said on their
official website.
Local media reported that Gallego and his staff will be paid
$1.2 million for a one-year contract, which would make him the
highest paid club coach ever in Chile.
Fellow Argentine coach Diego Cagna, whose side squandered a
seven-point lead in the run-in last season and lost the title
race to Universidad Catolica, resigned last week after a 5-1
home defeat by Universidad de Concepcion.
Colo Colo have since lost 5-2 away to Cerro Porteno of
Paraguay in their opening Libertadores Cup Group Five game and
2-0 to modest Union San Felipe in the league last weekend.
"Americo Ruben Gallego is the one chosen to put out the fire
at the Monumental," ran a banner headline in La Tercera
newspaper referring to Colo Colo's ground.
Gallego, holding midfielder in Argentina's 1978 World
Cup-winning team, has won league titles as a coach with River
Plate, Independiente and Newell's Old Boys in his home country
and Toluca in Mexico.
The 55-year-old nicknamed "Tolo" had been out of work since
not being retained by Independiente in June at the end of his
second spell at the club.