(Reuters) – Chile conclude their Copa America group stage campaign when they take on Canada on Saturday, but they will do so without head coach Ricardo Gareca, who has been handed a one-match ban.
CONMEBOL suspended Gareca after he was late in bringing on a player at halftime against Argentina on Tuesday.
“Ricardo (Gareca) was on his way to this conference when we got the message from CONMEBOL about the suspension. He went back to the hotel and we had to sort it out,” assistant coach Sergio Santin told a press conference on Friday.
He added that the manager would not be able to have any contact with the players, as he is not allowed in the dressing room and must remain in the stands.
“We are very careful to respect and follow all the instructions from CONMEBOL. There are situations out of our control, which we accept, but we are prepared.”
The South Americans, who have just one point, are bidding for a place in the quarter-finals, aiming to beat Group A runners-up Canada, who have three.
“We believe in each other, we believe in qualifying, we believe in winning. We have done it before.
Every game is different. We are expecting a very physical Canada side who will play an important tactical game, but the most important thing is us, we are very confident we can win,” Santin added.Argentina, top of group with six points, have already qualified for the next round and will face Peru on Saturday.
(Reporting by Angelica Medina in Mexico City; Editing by Edwina Gibbs)
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