Former coach Carlos Bianchi is set to come out of retirement for another spell in charge of Boca Juniors, club chairman Daniel Angelici said Friday.
The 63-year-old, the only coach to win four Copa Libertadores, came back as general manager four years ago and now will take the reins again as the club try to improve on sixth place after the initial league tournament of the season or Torneo Inicial, well adrift of table-toppers Velez Sarsfield.
The return of the man known popularly as "The Viceroy" comes with fans having demanded the replacement of Julio Cesar Falcioni during their weekend win over Godoy Cruz at Boca's cauldron of a Bombonera stadium.
Bianchi won the hearts and minds of Boca fans in two previous stints with the Buenos Aires-based side with whom Diego Maradona made his name by landing four Argentine league titles, three Copa Libertadores and two Intercontinental Cups between 1998 and 2004.
"We are happy and optimistic," Angelici said, while admitting the deal was not yet inked.
"Fans can be assured that we are on the right track. Bianchi will take the weekend (off) and then on Monday we are going to take a final decision. I don't think he will say no," said Angelici after meeting Bianchi to finalise details.
Angelici said the choice of Bianchi was self-evident, given his record.
"He is the most successful coach in Boca's history - he knows what Boca is all about," Angelici said, adding that the talks had gone well.
Before achieving fame as a coach Bianchi was also a successful player and is the highest-scoring Argentine to date in the history of top flight football, home and abroad spells included.
He scored 206 goals in two stints with first club Velez Sarsfield and 179 for French sides Reims, Paris Saint Germain and Strasbourg.
But those achievements are easily forgotten given his coaching success - he won his first Libertadores title with Velez Sarsfield in 1994 before adding three more crowns with Boca, while landing Intercontinental Cup honours with both.
A brief and unhappy spell with Roma preceded his arrival at Boca but his welter of titles back in Argentina more than made up for that.
Bianchi will return to the hotseat six years after his last actual coaching role -- a brief stint with Atletico Madrid after which he entered what he termed an extended "siesta" before he returned in 2009 to Boca as assistant manager for a year prior to entering what seemed a well-earned retirement.
The outgoing Falcioni won the Tourneo Inicial in 2011 and the Argentinian Cup earlier this year but poor recent league form means his contract is not being renewed.
Source: AFP
