The super sports director said yes to the Red

Francis Cagigao (51 years old) said yes. The former Arsenal talent scout accepted the proposal made by Pablo Milad, president of the ANFP. The Spanish-British is already the new national sports director. A position to which he arrives for two years and that seeks to revolutionize Chilean football, especially at the level of minor teams and scouting of young values.

Why does a valued European analyst choose to come to Chile? Cagigao himself responds, during a joint interview with his new boss, via Zoom, with Third, which serves to make the agreement official: “The first, logically, because it was one of the proposals I had and, ultimately, the one that most caught my attention, as it meant a great challenge and pride for me, personally, to be able to represent a great country, with a great culture and tradition, and not only in football terms. Afterwards, to be able to contribute my knowledge, my experiences and some of my ideology to a work of development and possible improvement of the current functioning of the federation ”.

His parents are Galician, but they emigrated to London in 1964. Five years later, they had Francis. “When people ask me ‘where are you from’, I tell them ‘well, look, I’m Spanish’. And they tell me ‘but from which part of Spain’. And I tell them ‘from London’. And they don’t understand me. When I tell you that at that time, in 1980, there were around 120,000 Spaniards in London and more in the United Kingdom, well you understand a little. I consider myself Spanish, Londoner, Galician and above all a citizen of the world, because I have been working in soccer for many, traveling all over the world, watching soccer, watching soccer players, so I don’t like not considering myself a man of this world, because wherever I have been I have tried to adapt, ”says Cagigao, who mixes a strange Spanish and British accent when speaking.

His signing is celebrated by the helmsman of the Quilín headquarters. “The arrival of Francis is great news for Chilean football, because he is a professional with a lot of experience, who has a long history in England and Spain. He is a soccer coach, he was a footballer, he has the title of sports director and a lot of experience in youth soccer and in the selection of players with projection and future. Francis has visited our country more than 20 times. Learn about Chilean soccer and what we lack. The project that we proposed to you goes hand in hand with a challenge. The presence of a national sports director is unprecedented. The first objective is to qualify for the World Cup in Qatar. Francis will help the coach to guide, to work in conjunction with the knowledge he has of the players that make up our Chilean team ”, he assures.

His relationship with football started from a very young age, although he did not manage to have a long career. “I started being a footballer at Arsenal, when I was young, I went to Barcelona B, Racing Santander. I had some pretty serious injuries. I represented Spain in the Under 19 and Under 20 categories. It can be said that after a very brilliant start, I had rather a mediocre professional career ”, he acknowledges.

That experience brought him to Arséne Wenger’s Arsenal. Was Cagigao responsible for signing Alexis Sánchez? “Soccer clubs are the ones that sign footballers. Individuals do not sign players, but if the question is who recommends it, then yes. It began to draw my attention in the South American of Paraguay. Good Guy. I have followed his career from the beginning. He was always a very appealing player, I liked him a lot, Arséne liked him, I spoke very often with him about Alexis. In the end we managed to sign him and he became a very important player at Arsenal ”, he says.

“Chile is a country that I know well, that I have visited a lot. Obviously Chile is very long, I have not had time to get to know it from end to end. I’ve seen the senior team many times. I have had contact with soccer people in Chile for many years. The first part of my project will be to advise, then there will be an ideological part. Laying a foundation and then speaking, because speaking in this world is free ”, he warns.

His physical arrival in the country has no date due to the pandemic. Currently, the executive is in Spain with his family, but he does not lose sight of what is happening with Reinaldo Rueda and his probable departure from the Chilean team, although he is cautious. “He is a person who has been a great professional in the world of football and he is the current Chilean coach and he has my utmost respect. Without more, “he says.

“Chile currently has a technical director and you have to be respectful with that. I am a professional in this world and for me it would not be ethical to speak with other coaches while Mr. Rueda is there ”, he closes.

In this regard, Milad adds: “I have not spoken with Prof Rueda. I hope to communicate directly between tomorrow and the day after with him, to see in what final situation this process is ”.