BOGOTA, June 2 (Xinhua) — Argentine manager Nestor Lorenzo has been appointed head coach of Colombia, the South American country’s football federation said on Thursday.
Lorenzo, a former defender who was capped 13 times for Argentina, replaces Reinaldo Rueda, who was sacked in April after Colombia’s failure to qualify for this year’s World Cup in Qatar.
“Welcome to our national team, Nestor Lorenzo,” the Colombian Football Federation said in a brief statement on social media. “All of us at the FCF hope that together we can achieve a lot of success.”
Lorenzo is no stranger to Colombia’s national team, having served as an assistant to former Cafeteros boss Jose Pekerman from 2012 to 2019. He was also part of Pekerman’s backroom staff with Argentina from 2004 to 2006.
The 56-year-old left his role as manager of Peruvian top-flight club Melgar to accept the Colombia position.
The Cafeteros finished sixth in South America’s World Cup qualifying group, missing out on a playoff berth by one point.
