Club Racing search for third coach of season

Football | Europe

 

 

Club Racing began the search for their third coach of the season on Monday after Carlos Ischia resigned following his team's 1-0 home defeat by Atletico Rafaela, their fourth in a row, at the weekend.
Ischia presided over a draw and four losses after taking over from Luis Zubeldia in August, leaving Racing bottom of the "Inicial" with two points from 10 matches, their worst start since the introduction of two championships a season in 1991.
"After (Sunday's) match, we met with Ischia and he told us one of the reasons why he decided to resign was that he was not getting through to the squad," club president Victor Blanco said.

"I accepted his decisión to resign because he lacked the strength to carry on," said Blanco, who became president last week after Gaston Cogorno and fellow vice-president Rodolfo Molina resigned amid a mismanagement crisis at Racing.
"We want to settle on the (new) coach in 48 hours," Blanco told Fox Sports. "If he's a coach who is working, we'll wait a little longer...We have a file with more than half a dozens coaches."
Among names thrown into the hat by media as the man who could take over is out-of-work fans' favourite Reinaldo Merlo, the last coach to steer Racing to a league title in 2001.
Zulbeldia had looked safe in the job after renewing his contract during his team's good run-in to last season, when they finished the "Final" championship in sixth place closing with three wins.
However, poor recruitment by sporting director and former Argentina captain Roberto Ayala was blamed for the bad start to the current championship with Zubeldia sacked, like Ischia, after a draw followed by four defeats.
Zubeldia had promoted several promising Argentina under-20 internationals last season but suffered from the poor form of senior players such as midfielder Mario Bolatti and injury to Italy 2006 World Cup winner Mauro Camoranesi.
Racing, nicknamed The Academy, are one of Argentina's so-called Big Five clubs, crowned South American and Intercontinental champions in 1967.
They were winners of a record nine league titles in the amateur era and another seven since the game turned profesional in 1931, though only one since 1966.