Ecuador fires its coach after elimination in Copa América: what was the balance left by Félix Sánchez Bas in “La Tri”

This Thursday, the Ecuadorian national team was eliminated in the quarterfinals of the 2024 Copa América at the hands of Argentina on penalties after a 1-1 draw in the 90 minutes.

Almost immediately after the match ended, the Ecuadorian Football Federation announced the dismissal of Félix Sánchez Bas as coach of the Ecuadorian national team. News that took many by surprise given the good moment that “La Tri” has been having in the Conmebol Qualifiers.

“The FEF informs that today it has agreed to terminate the contractual relationship of Technical Director Félix Sánchez Bas. We thank Félix and his technical team for their work and professionalism. We wish him success in the future,” reads the statement published by the FEF.

Sánchez Bas’s assessment of Ecuador

The experienced Spanish coach took over Ecuador’s coaching staff in March 2023 after Gustavo Alfaro closed his career with the national team with an elimination in the group stage of the 2022 World Cup.

Sánchez Bas was in charge of the South American team for 19 matches and left a positive balance of 10 wins, three draws and six losses.

The coach left Ecuador in a good position in the table of the Conmebol Qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup. They are currently in fifth place with 8 points, despite being sanctioned with -3 points for improper alignment in the last Qualifiers.

Possible candidates to take over Ecuador’s bench

The FEF must start moving quickly in the search for Sánchez Bas’s replacement, since Ecuador will face Brazil and Peru in September on dates 7 and 8 of the Conmebol Qualifiers.

Several names are beginning to appear in the Ecuadorian press. The first of them is Guillermo Almada, current coach of Pachuca of Mexico, who has also been linked to the national team in the past.

Other names that are being considered, although with less force, are three Argentines. On the one hand, Luis Zubeldía from Sao Paulo, Jorge Sampaoli and José Néstor Pékerman, both without teams and who could be experienced options for the Ecuadorian national team.

Keep reading:
· Argentina reached the semi-finals of the Copa America thanks to ‘Dibu’ Martínez [Video]
· “We haven’t achieved anything yet”: Fernando Batista wants to make history with Venezuela against Canada
· “We are going to go out and play”: Panama aims to surprise Colombia