Former River Plate manager Ramon Diaz has been given the opportunity to manage Paraguay and get in the team back to the lofty heights achieved during the 2010 World Cup.
Much was expected from this tiny South American nation after they reached the quarter-finals of the World Cup.
Buoyed by the presence of a top-class strikers like Roque Santa Cruz, they were expected to make an impact at the 2014 edition in their own continent. This was not supposed to be the case after they even failed to reach the finals following a poor qualification campaign.
Paraguay took the decision to sack their former manager Gerardo Pelusso in 2013 after having witnessed the team crumble during the qualification. Victor Genes was placed as a caretaker manager for the last few months. This was also seen as an opportunity for Paraguay to look at Victor Genes as a potential candidate on a permanent basis. This did not turn out well after Paraguay failed to impress even in friendly matches. The team managed just one victory in the last five friendly matches. The national team’s controlling authority has taken a decision to appoint Diaz, who has immense experience of working in South America and winning titles.
He famously led River Plate back to the top of the Argentine table only last season.“Ramón Díaz and the Paraguayan Football Association (APF) have sealed a four-year work agreement,” said the association president Alejandro Dominguez in a press conference. “It’s one of the biggest challenges of my career. There’s a lot of work to do,” said Diaz. The 55-year-old has worked with top players at the likes of Inter Milan, Monaco, and River Plate in his playing days. He has largely been in charge of Argentine clubs in his coaching career with the most successful being at River Plate.