Pizzi to be presented as new coach

TDT | Manama                   

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Argentinian tactician Juan Antonio Pizzi will be formally presented tomorrow as Bahrain’s new senior men’s national football team head coach.

The Bahrain Football Association (BFA) announced yesterday that Pizzi will be officially signing his contract at a Press conference to be held at the BFA headquarters in Riffa.

Pizzi was confirmed earlier this month as the replacement for departed Portuguese coach Helio Sousa, whose contract was not renewed by the BFA after its expiration at the end of June. Upon signing his deal, Pizzi is expected to begin working on all arrangements necessary for the national team’s programme for the coming period.

These include their preparations for the next edition of the AFC Asian Cup, to be held in Doha in January of next year. Bahrain are one of 24 teams who have qualified for the continent’s premier tournament.

The BFA began its contract negotiations with Pizzi after talks broke down with his countryman Ricardo Gareca, who was the first choice to be Sousa’s replacement. Discussions were in the advanced stages with Gareca, but he eventually turned down the BFA’s offer.

The BFA then turned its focus to Pizzi. The 55-year-old is a former player, born in Argentina but playing for Spain at the international level. He began his coaching career in 2005. Prior to joining Bahrain, Pizzi was the manager of UAE Pro League club Al Wasl.

He was also in charge of the national teams of Chile and Saudi Arabia in the past, during which he guided the Chileans to the final of the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup. During his stint with Saudi, he was in charge of the team at the 2018 FIFA World Cup and the 2019 AFC Asian Cup.

Pizzi will have big shoes to fill in Bahrain, with Sousa being one of the most successful head coaches in the history of the national football team.

The highlight of Sousa’s four-year stint with the senior squad was their victory in the 24th Gulf Cup in 2019—the first time Bahrain ever claimed the coveted trophy, ending a wait of nearly 50 years.

That triumph came only five months after Sousa took charge of the Kingdom’s top football squad, and it was already his second title in that period, having also helped guide Bahrain to the crown in that year’s West Asian Football Federation (WAFF) Championship.

Sousa was however unable to steer Bahrain to an historic berth in the FIFA World Cup, although helped the nationals successfully qualify for the upcoming AFC Asian Cup. Sousa’s last match at the helm of the national team was in March of this year, when Bahrain edged past Syria 1-0 in an international friendly played at home.