The fate of the Barça bench hinges on Faustino ‘Tino’ Pérez-Moreno Gómez. It was confirmed that the Barça Board of Directors has given its approval for the hiring of the coach. Who will replace Jesus Velasco on June 30. The Toledo coach will arrive with the letter of freedom. Having executed an escape clause in his contract with the Shanghai Quanqi Pioneer Football Club of the Chinese Super League.
Jesús Velasco declined the offer from the Barça team to renew. Pending the process and the continuity of Pedro Rocha, he finalizes his incorporation as the future coach with the Spanish Football Federation. Replacing Faith Vidal after the Uzbekistan World Cup. The culé Team Manager, Jordi Torras, immediately activated a select casting of coaches. Eduardo Sao Tiago was considered, but he had renewed a month before with Jimbee Cartagena.
Just as it happened in Movistar Inter with the departure of Jesús Velasco in 2019 after seven successful campaigns.
The Barcelona leadership has chosen Tino Pérez as a replacement. Four years later, history repeats itself, with an airlift involved. It is a commitment to continuity due to the similarity in the work methodology and the conception of the game of the two Toledoans. “We are the two most similar coaches in the First Division,” declared the future culé coach to Esport3 in April 2022 on the eve of a Spanish Cup semi-final between Madrid and Barcelona.
“Both draw from the waters of Zego -Antonio José Azevedo, a Brazilian coach recognized worldwide for being the precursor of the 4-player game. We like dynamic play and high intensity,” said Jesús Velasco. Tino Pérez reiterated in his presentation as Interista coach that “We have a fairly similar ideology. I think it’s more of a continuation than a change.” A phrase very similar to the one he could pronounce in July in his debut as Barça coach, if the negotiations for his signing are finalized.
Both have led parallel lives and trajectories.
“We know each other from Toledo. We are from the same group of friends and we have been in indoor soccer for hundreds of years.” In fact, Tino Pérez started as the second coach alongside Jesús Velasco at Toledart. His debut as the first coach was at the CLM Talavera. He has also coached at Playas de Castellón, Lugo, Cartagena, and Valencia before coaching abroad with teams in Romania, Russia, Azerbaijan, and Italy. Movistar Inter announced his departure in June 2022 when he still had one year left on his contract by the decision of José María García, and in November, he emigrated to China.
At 54 years old, Tino Pérez is a guarantee of success for Barça. He has one of the most successful honors in world futsal, having been twice elected the best coach of the LNFS. With 4 Champions League titles (1998, 2000, 2001, 2002), 3 Leagues in Spain (1997, 2001, 2020), 1 Spanish Super Cup (1997), 4 Russian Super Leagues, and 1 Scudetto, 2 Cups, and 1 Italian Super Cup. Besides, Jordi Torras knows Tino Pérez perfectly since he was his player at Polaris World Cartagena for three seasons.
The list of candidates for the Barça bench also included lots of names.
Such as Xavi Closas (Industrias Santa Coloma), Albert Canillas (U21 coach), and even Juanlu Alonso (El Hidalgo Manzanares Cheeses), who renewed in January. Highlighted in red by the president of Barça was Javi Rodríguez, who was fired at ElPozo Murcia on February 16. The former Barça player was in Joan Laporta’s candidacy in 2015 and was already an option in 2021, but he will have to wait again to see his dream of coaching at the Palau come true. Renewed until 2027, Jean Pierre Guisel Costa, Pito, will be Barça’s franchise player. The Brazilian power forward will meet again at the Palau with Tino Pérez, a coach with whom he crossed paths during his two seasons at Movistar Inter.
Pending confirmation of the continuity for one season of captain Sergio Lozano until 2025 and after announcing Ferrao’s goodbye, the Barça team is working on hiring a replacement. It was already announced that the best-placed candidate was Vinicius Rocha (Benfica). The Lisbon team could be the destination not only for the Portuguese closing André Coelho but also for the ‘Pantera’ of Chapecó. It will be a summer of significant changes at Can Barça, but not too significant, as only one or two more movements are expected in the summer market.