Despite failing to qualify for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, Colombia national team manager Eduardo Lara continues to have full support from the players.
The Colombian football association is scheduled to meet next week to discuss the future of the coach, who took over after previous manager Jorge Luis Pinto was fired in September 2008.
But if it is up to the players, Lara should stay for another couple of years. Giovanni Moreno of Atletico Nacional couldn’t be clearer: “The coach should continue and have one entire qualification campaign and lead us at all the matches. And if we don’t qualify, we can think about changing.”
Moreno was backed up by goalkeeper David Ospina, who felt that Lara’s arrival gave the team “a new spark and new hope to qualify for the World Cup, although in the end we didn’t”.
Colombia are out of contention after Saturday’s defeat by Chile, which makes Wednesday’s match with Paraguay little more than a friendly.
Qualification for the 2014 World Cup should start in October 2011. Before that date however, the Colombian team features at the 2011 Copa America which is to take place in Argentina.