Da Silva poised for Penarol after Banfield exit
Reuters - Tuesday 28 February 2012, 00:33
Former Uruguay striker Jorge
da Silva is on the verge of taking charge at ailing top
Montevideo side Penarol having resigned as coach of Argentina's
Banfield on Monday.
Da Silva, nicknamed 'Polilla' (Moth), is expected to take
over at Penarol from Gregorio Perez, who was sacked on Sunday,
club vice-president Edgard Welker told Reuters.
"Da Silva is Penarol's number one choice for the coaching
job," Welker said.
The 50-year-old Da Silva surprised Banfield by telling them
he was quitting after only three matches in charge and having
ended the team's six-match losing streak with a 2-1 upset win at
Racing Club on Sunday.
"Club Atletico Banfield inform that the Uruguayan trainer
left his post to take on the coaching of Penarol of Montevideo
after saying it was one of his life dreams to coach there," the
Argentine side said on their website.
Keen for a long time to coach his home city club, former
Atletico Madrid and River Plate striker Da Silva is due to meet
Penarol officials in Montevideo on Tuesday to discuss the terms
of his contract.
Penarol, runners-up last year in the Libertadores Cup, have
made a very poor start this year to South America's elite club
competition, which they have won five times.
They lost their first two group matches, including a
humiliating 4-0 defeat by Colombia's Atletico Nacional in the
Centenario in Montevideo last week.
Banfield, who signed Da Silva in December after sacking
former Mexico coach Ricardo La Volpe, finished bottom of
Argentina's Apertura championship in the first half of the
season and lost their first two Clausura matches.
In his coaching career since 2007, Da Silva has also worked
at Defensor Sporting in Uruguay, Al Nasser in Saudi Arabia and
at Argentina's Godoy Cruz.