Vizcarrondo named Venezuela's new head coach

Jan 20 : The Venezuelan Football Federation appointed former defender Oswaldo Vizcarrondo as the national team's head coach on Tuesday, ending his interim role following the dismissal of Argentine Fernando Batista.

Vizcarrondo, who earned 80 caps for Venezuela and represented the country at four Copa America tournaments, will lead the country through the qualifying process for the 2030 World Cup.

"This is an important challenge for my career. It's true that I have a relatively new coaching career, but with the support of my team, we'll achieve great things for our football," Vizcarrondo said at his presentation.

The 41-year-old worked with the Venezuela youth teams, managing the U15s and U17s. As a player he had stints for clubs in his home country as well as in Argentina, Paraguay, Colombia, Mexico and France.

Venezuela, who have never played in a World Cup, failed to qualify for this year's tournament, which is being co-hosted by Mexico, Canada and the United States from June 11 to July 19. 

They narrowly missed out on securing a spot in the intercontinental playoffs after losing their final qualifier.

(Report by Javier Leira in Santiago, edited by Juana Casas. Translation by Angelica MedinaEditing by Toby Davis)