Hernan Dario “Bolillo” Gomez announced his official resignation from coaching Colombia’s national soccer team, confirmed Terra news in an exclusive interview Monday.
The announcement concluded two weeks of scandal surrounding the soccer coach following his physical attack of a woman in a bar in Bogota.
Gomez told Terra news that his “resignation is irrevocable” and that he will have no more part in Colombia’s national team.
In addition to Gomez’s personal resignation, Caracol Radio reported that Gomez’s technical team will also be quitting, including his assistant Leonel Alvarez and soccer trainer Elkin Sanchez.
Earlier Monday, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos waded into the dispute surrounding the soccer coach, calling on the Colombian Soccer Federation to accept the coach’s resignation and end the debate that has divided the nation.
Santos also added that “after the lamentable and reprehensible episode of ‘Bolillo,’ I believe the Soccer Federation should consider the possibility of contracting a foreign coach to introduce new blood and new ideas to the national team.”
Replacement candidates for the national coaching position are Uruguyan Julio Comenaña, Argentine Gerardo “Tata” Martino, and Colombians Leonel Alvarez, Juan Carlos Osorio, and Alexis Garcia, among others, reported various media sources.