"I would never have replaced Berizzo" - Arturo Vidal hits out at Chile coach Gareca

Midfielder Arturo Vidal hit out at Chile coach Ricardo Gareca after the 2-1 defeat at home to Bolivia in the eighth round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers and said he "would never have changed Berizzo", whom the coach replaced in the post. The former Barcelona and Juventus player, who now plays for Colo-Colo, also questioned the coach's decision to replace Ben Brereton in the first half of the game in Santiago.

"I would never have changed Berizzo," Vidal said on the “Kick” platform, referring to the change of coach that the Chilean Football Federation made, last January, when the previous Argentine coach resigned. "But, as he didn't give information to journalists, they had him sacked! The press has cut off processes that were going well," he added.

Eduardo Berizzo stepped down as coach of ‘La Roja’ at the end of 2023, after six qualifying games in which he took five out of 18 points, leaving Chile in eighth place in the table, outside the World Cup qualification places. "Gareca has put himself in a very difficult path," said Vidal, who has not been called up by the Argentine for official matches in both the Copa America and the qualifiers.

"He can't take Ben out. He's going to finish him off. I don't understand the change. You have to take out Davila or Osorio, who are struggling in midfield. Ben is doing well one-on-one," he said. The midfielder then added: "I don't understand the decision making. I respect them because he's the coach, but I can't understand what we're playing for.