Sanchez takes charge of Ecuador’s national team

QUITO, March 11– Spanish manager Felix Sanchez has been appointed head coach of Ecuador’s national team, the South American country’s football federation said on Saturday. The 47- year-old replaces Argentine Gustavo Alfaro, who stepped down in December last year following the team’s failure to progress beyond the group stage of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

QUITO, March 11 (Xinhua) — Spanish manager Felix Sanchez has been appointed head coach of Ecuador’s national team, the South American country’s football federation said on Saturday.

The 47-year-old replaces Argentine Gustavo Alfaro, who stepped down in December last year following the team’s failure to progress beyond the group stage of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

“[Sanchez] will assume the challenge of leading the team at the 2024 Copa America and the South American qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup,” read a statement on the federation’s website.

Sanchez was previously head coach of Qatar, whom he led to the 2019 Asian Cup title. His contract ended in December last year after the team’s group-stage elimination from the World Cup as hosts.

The former Barcelona youth team coach will lead Ecuador for the first time during a double header of friendlies against Australia in Sydney and Melbourne later this month. Enditem