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🇪🇨 Ecuador /Sports

Marcelo Gallardo and Ecuador weigh their future in Europe

From El Comercio · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • Marcelo Gallardo remains a candidate to coach Ecuador, but he has not signed a contract with the federation.
  • Gallardo and federation president Francisco Egas are expected to meet in Europe to discuss contractual terms and a longer-term project.
  • Ecuador is preparing for its next match against South Korea on Sept. 24 and a subsequent tournament involving Japan, Panama and New Zealand.

Marcelo Gallardo is still not Ecuador’s coach, despite reports that the Argentine had already reached an agreement with the Ecuadorian Football Federation.

Gallardo remains one of the federation’s options to lead the national team toward the 2028 Copa América and 2030 World Cup qualifying campaign. Reports in Ecuador and Argentina had described his appointment as nearly complete, with some saying he could travel to Quito to meet federation president Francisco Egas and sign a contract.

The most successful coach in River Plate's history is very close to becoming Ecuador's new national team coach.

— InfobaeThe report described the optimism surrounding Gallardo’s potential appointment.

Journalist César Luis Merlo reported that Egas and Gallardo would meet in Europe on Tuesday. The city was not specified. Their discussions are expected to cover the contract and Ecuador’s sporting project for the coming years. Gallardo is interested in the proposal, but negotiations remain open and no document has been signed.

It is not at a point where only the signature is missing; nor should we think about just one name. Yesterday's report has no basis; someone put out the news and everyone picked it up, but it is far from the truth.

— The Canal del Fútbol sourceThe federation source disputed reports that Gallardo’s appointment had been finalized.

The former River Plate, Al-Ittihad and Nacional coach last worked until Feb. 23, when he announced his departure from River after a run of poor results. Ecuador previously had Sebastián Beccacece in charge from August 2024 until July 2026.

The Canal del Fútbol offered a more cautious assessment of the talks. Citing a federation source, it said the process was not merely awaiting a signature and warned that Ecuador should not focus on one candidate. The national team will return on Sept. 24, visiting South Korea at Suwon’s Big Bird Stadium. It will then play Japan, Panama and New Zealand in an international tournament.

He is interested in Ecuador's proposal.

— César Luis MerloMerlo reported that Gallardo remains engaged in negotiations over the job.
About this summary

Originally published by El Comercio in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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