It wasn't long ago, that one Miguel Herrera had finally made it. Most of us spend our entire professional careers chasing it, and some of us are lucky enough to land our dream job. Coaching Mexico was Piojo's dream job. Of course, that all came crashing down in Philly when he rabbit punched a TV Azteca announcer.
It really bugged me for a few days that Christian Martinoli was going to get away with insulting Herrera and his family during his TV Azteca broadcasts. How can a broadcast partner treat their flagship property like that, I thought. And then it hit me. Azteca and Televisa aren't rights holders, or broaDcast partners. They own FMF. FMF employees are their subordinates. He can do whatever he wants with them. And he did. This particular moment of clarity came to me after reading an interview with outgoing National Teams Director, Hector Gonzalez Iñarritu waxed poetic about the broadcasters antics. He had to kiss up to the bosses, I guess.
So once again, the farce known as the Federacion Mexicana de Futbol is looking for a coach to feed their cash cow up until the heifer is too sick to crap money, and another ranch hand is called in. But after firing coach after coach after coach after coach, who would want anything to do with them?
It is a question Victor Manuel Vucetich has asked. The way he was treated a coupe of years ago by FMF when they let him go was low, even by their standards. "they say that one should take pride in coaching the national team, but right now everyone is staying away. There are more coaches that are staying away Why? Because other interests are held in higher regard to what happens on the pitch, and that leads to rash decision-making. Everything is rushed, nothing is ever thought out, and the (team's) valuation is never based on soccer."
And he is one of the top candidates to replace Piojo.
Another of the local candidates that is said to be on the short list is Ricardo "Tuca" Ferretti. It was just a few coaching searches ago that Tuca said "I would rather be a street sweeper than coach the National Team." The street sweepers' union demanded an apology.
Dream job? Try the furthest thing from it.
There is talk that FMF might look outside the country for a coach. They have no choice. Marcelo Bielsa is the guy they want, but he has demands, and none of his demands jive with the FMF modus operandi: take what you can when you can. Of course, the rash decision, itchy trigger finger crowd have yet to learn that if they let a capable guy work for a bit, results may come. Then they won't have to get what they can when they can, because it will come to them.
Current Chile coach Jorge Sampaoli is an option as well, as long as they buy out his contract. Good luck with that, because when you are in the business of taking what you can when you can, you generally don't like to have to pony up.
So the question is, will FMF cede control to someone who wants overhaul the soccer side of the biz who may sacfrifice some short term cash for long term goals? Or will they pick another volunteer from the local barn who will give their cash cow the exact same diet — hoping that this will be the guy who doesn't get it sick?
I think we all know what the answer will be.