Boca part ways with Úbeda, seek new manager for pre-season | OneFootball

If there was no guarantee the cycle would continue heading into the final matchday of the Copa Libertadores group stage, the crushing defeat to Universidad Católica and the early elimination left Claudio Úbeda directly out at Boca. With a contract running until midyear, it is now a fact that it will not be renewed, and Juan Román Riquelme is already working to find his successor.

“I don’t think this is the time to talk about that. We have to meet, talk... think about everything that happened during this time and then make a decision,” the coach said at last night’s press conference. Uncertain about his future, he still did not know that the xeneize president’s stance was already firm.

El Sifón had arrived as part of Miguel Ángel Russo’s coaching staff ahead of the Club World Cup in mid-2025. After the coach’s death, he left his role as assistant to take over as head coach and has been in charge of the squad ever since. His original contract was never changed (aside from the financial terms) and remained valid until the end of June this year.

During his time as head coach, Úbeda never sat down to negotiate a renewal with Riquelme. The team’s strong run for much of this year, including a Superclásico win, suggested he could be the coach for what was to come. However, his spell collapsed like a house of cards, and the group-stage exit in the Copa Libertadores (the first since 1994) was the last straw that sealed his fate.

Although official confirmation is still pending, El Sifón is leaving after 32 matches in just over seven months. He won 17 (beating River both times they faced each other), drew seven and lost eight. His solid 60.4% win rate was far from enough: he was blamed for the elimination against Racing in the 2025 Torneo Clausura semifinals, went out in the Apertura round of 16 against Huracán at La Bombonera, and now exited the Copa Libertadores in the group stage. A string of frustrations that made his continuation unsustainable.

Although he probably already has one or several names on his shortlist, Riquelme has not dropped any hints yet, though he has already started working to decide Úbeda’s successor. The president’s idea is to seal the arrival of the new coach in time for the transfer window so he can take charge of the squad from the first day of preseason, which will begin on June 18 at Boca Predio.

The team’s preparation will take place in Ezeiza, where a group that is currently reeling is expected to undergo several changes for the second half of the year. The first key date on the calendar is Tuesday, July 21 (Wednesday the 22nd or Thursday the 23rd), when Boca will play the first leg of the Copa Sudamericana round-of-16 playoff against O’Higgins at La Bombonera. A week later, they will play the return leg in Chile for a place in the round of 16, where Recoleta of Paraguay is already waiting. That will be the new coach’s first real test.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.