Simeone starts over by returning to Racing
Reuters - Tuesday 21 June 2011, 20:51
BUENOS AIRES - Former Argentina
captain Diego Simeone has returned home to coach Racing
Club having left Catania at the end of the Serie A season in
Italy.
"I don't see this as a step backwards, to come back here
from Italy," Simeone, who finished playing and began his career
as a coach at Racing in 2006, said at his unveiling on Tuesday.
"The [initial] objective is to get into a cup [competition],
which we haven't done for a long time... hopefully other things
will follow," Simeone, succeeding Miguel Angel Russo who
resigned last week, told a news conference.
The 41-year-old steered Catania clear of relegation in his
four-and-a-half-months in charge and left by mutual consent.
Simeone, who won 106 caps and played at three World Cups,
coached Racing for 14 matches in 2006. He later won league
titles with Estudiantes and River Plate and also coached San
Lorenzo.
He began his playing career at Velez Sarsfield, moving to
Pisa in 1990 and then on to Sevilla, Atletico Madrid, Inter
Milan and Lazio.
Racing were 15th in the Clausura championship which ended
last weekend when they lost 2-1 at champions Velez, their fifth
match without a win which cost them a place in the Copa
Sudamericana, South America's Europa League equivalent.