BOCA JUNIORS
Gerardo Martino and Pékerman, candidates for Boca Juniors bench
Vice President Juan Román Riquelme and the board of directors are considering the former coaches of Mexico and Venezuela to replace Ibarra.
Boca Juniors are moving fast to find their a new coach to be ready ahead of the Copa Libertadores match against Monagas on Thursday, 6 April. At present, Marianon Herrón, coach of the reserves, will lead the team against Barracas Central this Saturday. Vice President Juan Román Riquelme has set his sights on either Gerardo ‘Tata’ Martino and Néstor Pékerman to replace Hugo Ibarra with the 48-year-old dismissed last Tuesday due to poor results in the Argentine Professional League that sees Boca lie in fourteenth position and seven points behind leaders River Plate.
Tata Martino finds himself without a team after his tenure with the Mexican national side ended after a poor World Cup showing for El Tri in Qatar. This will be the third time that Boca come knocking on his door following 2010 when Martino was coaching Paraguay and more recently in 2018 when he was committed to taking the Mexico job.
Pékerman is a longer shot with the 73-year-old recently parting company with Venezuelan national team and despite having a solid relationship with Riquelme, he’s thought to be reluctant to take over a club position.
It is expected that the vice president and the Council conclude Tata’s arrival in Boca as soon as possible. A meeting that will be held in the next few hours to try to close the agreement with the Argentine coach and he can train starting next week.