Venezuela’s Caracas (AP) – Venezuela fired coach Fernando Batista after the men’s national team failed again – I’ll be competing in the World Cup.
Venezuela, the only South American team that has never competed in the World Cup, has arrived in the final round of qualifying, where they will need to win against Colombia to secure seventh place in a ranking that grants an international playoff spot.
However, Batista’s team lost 6-3 Bolivia beat Brazil 1-0 To secure tickets for the 2026 World Cup playoffs.
The Venezuela Football Federation said Batista, 55, who spent 20 months at the helm late Wednesday, was fired “for the failure to achieve the objectives of this cycle.”
Peru changes
Peru fired manager Oscar Ibanez after the team finished ninth in the 10-count South American tournament. Only Chile had a worse campaign.
Ibanez, 58, was appointed interim coach after Jorge Fossati was fired, only won one of six games.
Peru played last in the 2018 World Cup.
Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay competed in the World Cup next summer.
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AP Soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
