Colombian president Juan Manuel Santos has waded into the dispute surrounding Colombian soccer coach Hernan Dario, “Bolillo” Gomez, who resigned after hitting a woman in Bogota bar.
Local media reported that the president, calling Gomez’s behaviour “reproachable,” called on the Colombian Soccer Federation to accept the coach’s resignation and end the debate that has divided the nation.
Santos added he believed Gomez’s successor should be a foreign coach. He said, “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.”
The president’s intervention follows comments by the president of the Football Federation, Luis Bedoya, who revealed the organization’s directors had been in an ongoing meeting since the scandal broke but still had not reached a decision on Gomez’s future.
Gomez issued an apology and offered his resignation immediately after the incident became public. However, he has received the backing of the Colombian players and coaching staff, who have called for him to continue in his role.