- After ending time with Chile, Rueda returns to his homeland
- It will be his second stint at the helm of his national team
- The objective? Qualify for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™
Colombian Reinaldo Rueda has become the new head coach of his homeland’s national team, confirmed by the Colombian Football Federation (FCF) on Thursday 14 January.
“Coach Rueda will be in charge of leading our national team in qualifying for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, as well as in the Copa America Argentina – Colombia 2021. We wish him and his team much success, convinced that they will do an excellent job in the task ahead,” said the FCF in its official statement.
Rueda replaces Carlos Queiroz, who left the position in December 2020 after the team’s poor start to the South American qualifiers, where Los Cafeteros find themselves seventh in the standings with four points from four games.
The news comes just a day after Rueda left the Chilean national team, which he took charge of in the second half of 2018. “The FCF thanks the Chilean Football Federation and its president, Pablo Milad, with whom in all moments there was dialogue and communication on the matter,” the association added in its announcement.
Rueda coached all of the youth teams in Colombia before assuming the leadership of the senior team back in January 2004. That first stint ended in mid-2006, after Colombia failed to qualify for the World Cup in Germany.
His next two jobs would be successful experiences: he took Honduras to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and Ecuador to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
Rueda will be presented to the media on Tuesday 19 January, at which time he will give his first statements following his return to Colombia.