Chile Won't Name a Coach Until Year's End, Federation Says

There's still no bench boss lined up for La Roja, and there won't be one for a good while. Felipe Correa, the Chilean Football Federation's director of national teams, moved to cool the fan base's anxiety, confirming that the search for a new coach won't be settled until the end of the year.

The news comes at a time when interest in the next coach's identity is only growing, with the road to the 2030 World Cup already underway and a clear need to rebuild a team still reeling from missing out on the last World Cup. But at Quilin, the ANFP's headquarters, officials would rather not rush things.

"There's no agreement with anyone. We've said that any decision will be made once the new board takes office," Correa said in an interview with Radio ADN, making clear that the institutional side of things needs to be sorted out before any names get discussed.

There's no agreement with anyone. We've said that any decision will be made once the new board takes officeFelipe Correa

The national teams director went further, laying out the order of steps still to come. According to him, a work plan needs to be presented first, before anyone sits down to decide who will carry it out on the bench.

"We'll present the project of what we consider right for the national team, and no decision can be made before that," he added, making the point that the footballing vision has to be clear before the search for a candidate begins.

What About Pellegrini?

As expected, the conversation turned to the name generating the most excitement: Manuel Pellegrini. The "Engineer" became available after leaving West Ham, and his winning track record made him an instant favorite among much of the fan base and the local sports press.

Asked directly whether there have been talks with the Chilean coach, Correa sidestepped the question with a short answer that neither closed the door nor opened it: "That's a different matter."

The line does more to fuel the mystery than settle it. What is certain, for now, is that there will be no white smoke before the ANFP sorts out its leadership change, a process that will naturally stretch until the close of the calendar year.

In the meantime, Chile remains without a clear direction on the bench, which is no small thing considering every month that passes without a work plan is time that can't be made up on the road to 2030. Fans will need to be patient: the name of the new coach will have to wait, at the very least, until December.