MEXICO NATIONAL TEAM
Will Jamie Lozano be named permanent Mexico head coach if they win the 2023 Gold Cup?
FMF president Ivar Sisniega has spoken about Lozano’s position and appeared to rule Zinedine Zidane out of the running.
Jaime Lozano could be set to continue as the head coach of the Mexican national team, although his future will not depend on the outcome of Sunday’s Gold Cup final against Panama. Ivar Sisniega, president of the Mexican Soccer Federation (FMF), has confirmed that the restructuring of the organisation will not only affect the national team manager’s role, but will instead see a host of other changes in other areas.
One-off match won’t decide Lozano’s future
“We’ll conduct an in-depth evaluation regardless of Sunday’s result. We’re not going to choose a head coach based on whether he wins or loses a one-off match. What happens on Sunday will not determine Lozano’s future. I think he’s a great coach who can offer us a lot. Of course, ‘Jimmy’ must be one of the candidates,” Sisniega stated in a video posted on social media by the FMF.
“The process isn’t just about hiring a head coach. We are looking at the overall structure and all the personnel involved with the different the national teams. No coach has a magic wand to fix everything. There are lots of us who are working together to try to make substantial improvements (...) Of course, the media is most interested in taking about who will be the new coach, but that is not the main focus at the moment”, pointed out Sisniega, who competed in the pentathlon in the 1980, 1984 and 1988 Olympic Games.
Could Zinedine Zidane become the new Mexico manager?
Sisniega also played down speculation that coaches of the calibre of Zinedine Zidane and Luis Enrique, who has now joined Paris Saint-Germain, had been targeted by the FMF: “We aren’t looking at some of the names that have been discussed in the media. Before putting names on the table, we have to decide we kind of profile fits what we currently have and what we are looking for for the Mexican national team.” Sisniega claims the process of hiring a new coach will be “well documented, transparent and efficient” and will take the long-term future of El Tri, including the 2026 and 2030 World Cups, into consideration.