Guadalajara (Mexico), September 23 (EFE).- The Argentinian Diego Cocca announced this Friday that he will resign as coach of the double champion Atlas at the end of the Apertura 2022 tournament of Mexican football and has excluded the rumors that link him as the new technical director of Sporting de Gijon.
“There will always be talk of possibilities, especially when a coach successfully leaves a place, but (Sporting) that’s not what I think, that’s not what moves me at the moment. moves is to close well with this team and to make the people of the Atlas understand that I am leaving so that the institution continues to grow and not to have another project”, explained the 50-year-old strategist.
The Mexican press reported ahead of Cocca’s announcement that the Argentine would leave Atlas to manage Sporting de Gijón; Both executives belong to the Mexican group Orlegi, headed by businessman Alejandro Irarragorri.
“We don’t have work elsewhere because we’re not interested in thinking about anything other than the Atlas. Their time will come, let’s hope they give us the vacation we need because it would be good for us, after that we will continue to work and all the projects that continue to grow will be evaluated; Now is not the time to think about it,” added Cocca.
Last December, the technical director broke an Atlas drought of more than 70 years without lifting a League title and last May he offered the Rojinegros their first bi-championship, in addition to the Champion of Champions trophy.
However, in this Apertura 2022 he has the Guadalajara team in the penultimate place in the table one day from the end of the regular phase, without any aspiration to fight for the title.
Cocca assured that his decision to end his cycle at Atlas next Saturday, October 1, on the last day of the regular phase of the championship when his team hosts Necaxa in his stadium was for the good of the institution.
“I made a courageous decision. The easiest thing would have been to stay and give the board the responsibility of expelling a two-time champion coach, which would not have been pleasant for me or them. is why we have to take advantage of this moment, part of the transformation we have made is not to see the Atlas as synonymous with bad news, but rather with happiness like the one we will experience on Saturday,” Cocca said.