Siboldi: I hope to make history with Liga MX’s Veracruz

Uruguayan Robert Dante Siboldi, the manager of Liga MX club Veracruz, said Tuesday that he wanted to put the team’s memories of bad seasons and payroll problems behind it and lift the squad’s morale.

“I plan to take it step by step. There’s a bad atmosphere, but there are also things that aren’t true. What happened in the past doesn’t affect me, it makes sense to find a starting point and put together a competitive team that will make fans proud,” Siboldi told EFE.

Veracruz has had contractual problems that have affected the roster, which is mostly made up of players on loan from other clubs, the exception being Peruvian goalkeeper Pedro Gallese, who was acquired in 2016.

Siboldi spoke with the players on the roster and urged them to focus on soccer.

“You can’t forget what happened, it’s not easy because it hurt the reputation of Club Veracruz in Mexican soccer; however, we’re going to write a new history, we have a blank page starting when I arrived on Dec. 5, I see players with a desire to get revenge and clean up the (club’s) image,” Siboldi said.

Siboldi, who won a title with Santos Laguna in June 2018, hopes that fans will return to his new club’s stadium in Veracruz, a Gulf city popular with tourists that boasts a long soccer history.

“We’re going to try to have an identity so that people will come to the stadium. We’re working to appeal to fans with a style of play that has certain features and a distinctive brand. Getting results is the most important thing, but you have to earn the wins,” Siboldi said.

Veracruz is currently the worst club in the standings and will try to avoid relegation in May.

The Tiburones Rojos are 20 points behind Puebla, the next closest team in the standings.