Bocha Batista on missing World Cup with Venezuela: “I’m here out of respect” | OneFootball

The coach spoke for barely a minute after the 6-3 thrashing suffered against Colombia in Maturín, avoided journalists’ questions, and his tenure with La Vinotinto seems to be coming to an end.

Venezuela’s dream of playing in their first World Cup in history was dashed by the 6-3 defeat handed to them by Colombia in Maturín in the final round of the Qualifiers. The result left La Vinotinto with no chance and gave the playoff spot to Bolivia, who beat Brazil with a controversial penalty. Amid this upheaval, Fernando Batista found himself at the center of controversy due to his reaction in the post-match press conference.

Bocha appeared in the press room, but did not want to answer questions and only gave a brief statement of just over a minute: “Simply, I want to say that this is a very tough, very difficult moment. We tried, we were chasing a dream. It wasn’t to be… Honestly, it’s hard to analyze right now. In the coming days, we’ll analyze things more calmly. I want to apologize to the Venezuelan people, we had a dream together with these players to qualify for the playoff.”

He also thanked the squad for their effort and for trying “until the very last matchday”, reiterated that it was a “very tough moment personally and football-wise”, and quickly said goodbye, without allowing anyone to ask him a question: “I’m here out of respect for you, who have always treated me well and with whom I’ve had a good relationship. I just wanted to say that. To apologize. Today I’m not in a state to answer questions. We tried, we couldn’t achieve it. Good night to you all.”

The decision not to answer questions caused strong discontent among the journalists present at the stadium. On the official broadcast, a commentator criticized him live: “I can’t believe it, Mr. Bocha Batista, you should face up and answer the questions from all the media who supported you throughout the World Cup cycle. It can’t end like this.”

Social media amplified the complaints and the image of the Argentine coach came under even more scrutiny. Local media claim that his tenure is over, despite having only recently taken over from José Pékerman. The truth is that Venezuela’s schedule is tight: on October 10th they will face the Argentina National Team in an international friendly in Miami, and before that they must decide who will take charge of the team.

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