Bielsa set to become new Bilbao boss
Reuters - Thursday 07 July 2011, 22:44
MADRID - Josu Urrutia was voted in as the
new president of Athletic Bilbao on Thursday and is set to
appoint Marcelo Bielsa as the Spanish club's coach for next
season.
The 43-year-old former player and team captain defeated
incumbent Fernando Garcia Macua, scooping 53.36 percent of the
votes cast by club members, the Basque side said on their
website.
Urrutia campaigned with a commitment from Bielsa, who
coached Chile at the World Cup finals in South Africa last year,
and the Argentine will be appointed to replace Joaquin Caparros.
Caparros had coached the side for the four years of Garcia
Macua's presidency and his contract expired at the end of June.
Bilbao are one of only four clubs in La Liga, along with
Barcelona, Real Madrid and Osasuna, who are owned by the club
members (socios), and who get to elect their president every
four years.
They have around 35,000 socios and said there had been a
record turnout at the polls.
Bilbao are famous for only fielding players of Basque origin
and along with Real and Barca are the only clubs never to have
been relegated from Spain's top division.
Under Caparros, they finished sixth in La Liga last May and
qualified for next season's Europa League.