Ecuador appoint Gallardo as national team head coach

Sept 13 (Reuters) - Ecuador have appointed Argentine Marcelo Gallardo as head coach of the national team, the Ecuadorian Football Federation said on Sunday.

Gallardo succeeds compatriot Sebastian Beccacece, whose contract was not renewed after Ecuador lost to Mexico in the ⁠World Cup round of 32 in June.

"We have talent, structure and ambition. We're ready. Let the people believe, because they have every reason to," the federation said on social media. "Welcome, Marcelo."

Gallardo, 50, had been without a ⁠job since ending his second stint at River Plate in February. He won two Copa Libertadores titles in a ⁠trophy-laden first spell with the Buenos Aires club, and has also previously managed ⁠Uruguay's Nacional club and Saudi Arabia's Al-Ittihad.

Ecuador's next match is a ⁠friendly against South Korea on September 24.

Reporting by Angelica Medina in Mexico City; Editing by Peter Rutherford

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