Venezuela National Team Parts Ways with Coach Fernandoโ Batista โฃAfter โฃWorld Cup Qualifying Failure
Maturรญn, Venezuela – Fernando Batista has been relieved of his duties as head coach of the โVenezuela national football team following the Vinotinto‘s failure to secure aโ spot in the 2026 Worldโ Cup repechage. Theโฃ decision,announced โขby โคthe Venezuelan Football Federation (FVF),comes after a decisive 6-3 loss to Colombia in the final South American qualifier on Tuesday.
Batista, known as “Bocha,” had been in charge ofโฃ the national team with the aimโค of reaching the โWorld Cup, but Venezuela finished seventhโข in the qualifying standings,โ falling shortโฃ of the โplayoff berthโ claimed by Bolivia who defeated Brazil 1-0.โ The FVF cited “established sports results” as the reason for the change,acknowledging Batista’s effort while stating a “change of โคcourse” is necessary to continue the national team’s development. The entire coaching staff โhas also been dismissed.
Following the defeat, Batista expressed regret at โnot achievingโฃ qualification. “We tried. We were behind a dream.โ It couldn’t be,” he stated in a post-match press conference, declining to take questions fromโ reporters.He also offered an apology to the Venezuelan people, saying, “Simply apologize to the Venezuelan people for the dream โwe had with these players to be able to classify the repechage.Very arduous moment, very hard time personally, in football.”
Theโฃ FVF has affirmed its commitment to Venezuelan โคfootball โขand is now focused on selecting a new coaching staff to lead the team through the next World Cup cycle.
