Ex-Ecuador coach clarifies Chilean's role in World Cup qualifying process

Sebastián Beccacece, the former coach of the Ecuadorian national football team, has clarified the specific duties of Chilean Ricardo García during the team's qualification campaign for the 2026 World Cup. García's role had been misrepresented in some reports, with some publications presenting him as a tactical analyst and others attributing controversial statements about Ecuadorian players to him.

In an interview with Ecuagol, Beccacece explained that García denied giving any interviews, stating that any comments attributed to him stemmed from an informal conversation that was later published. "He clarified to me and told me that he never spoke with anyone, that he only had an off-the-record chat and they published it," Beccacece said. "I trust what he told me, that he never gave any interview. And if he did, I do not agree at all with what he said, because I think the complete opposite."

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He clarified to me and told me that he never spoke with anyone, that he only had an off-the-record chat and they published it. I trust what he told me, that he never gave any interview. And if he did, I do not agree at all with what he said, because I think the complete opposite.

Beccacece further specified that García was not the team's tactical analyst. "Ricardo was not the analyst. He was in charge of carrying out certain logistics and worked for the Federation. The analyst was Anton Klaren, who was with me at Elche and also in this process," the coach explained. García's responsibilities included building a database to identify young players abroad with Ecuadorian heritage who could represent the country, a process that led to the inclusion of players like Jeremy Arévalo. He also assisted in recording training sessions and matches, alongside other logistical tasks essential for the national team's operations.

This clarification echoes Beccacece's previous experience, having previously integrated García into the Chilean national team's setup. There, García also played a role in identifying footballers eligible to play for Chile due to their familial ties to the country, citing the example of Miiko Albornoz, who was born in Sweden and later called up to the Chilean squad.

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Ricardo was not the analyst. He was in charge of carrying out certain logistics and worked for the Federation. The analyst was Anton Klaren, who was with me at Elche and also in this process.