Boca Juniors names Jorge Almiron as new coach
Sports
The former Argentine defender is set to take charge of last year's champions of the Copa de la Liga
Buenos Aires (Reuters) - Boca Juniors have named Jorge Almiron as their new coach following the departure of Hugo Ibarra, the Buenos Aires soccer club said on Monday.
The former Argentine defender is set to take charge of last year's champions of the Copa de la Liga and Liga Profesional, who now sit 12th in the Primera Division, 10 points behind leaders and long-time rivals River Plate.
"Jorge Almiron, welcome home," Boca posted on Twitter, alongside several images of the new coach in his first training session with the team.
"I'm excited and grateful for this opportunity, today I met the players and I am also excited to meet the fans who expect an improvement," Almiron told a news conference.
"The demands are very high in this place. It's a dream as a coach to be here, I hope to improve the team, the game and that the players feel good," he added.
Almiron, 51, began his coaching career in the Mexican league and has managed a raft of Argentine club teams, including Lanus, with whom he won the 2016 Primera Division championship, Copa Bicentenario and Supercopa Argentina, as well as reaching the final of the 2017 Copa Libertadores.
He was hired by Spanish side Elche last year but was sacked less than a month into the job after poor results.