Vasco da Gama president Roberto Dinamite announced on Wednesday the new coaching structure at the club for 2013, which will see former head coach Ricardo Gomes become the Technical director with Gaúcho, who is the current caretaker manager, staying on as the first team coach.
Dinamite said: “Ricardo will be the technical director and Gaúcho will be on the field. The two will decide to assemble a team for Vasco. Ricardo is ready to help us to reach a Vasco team which is increasingly strong and competitive. And we will continue our work with Gaúcho coaching. He’ll be on the field making the decisions.”
Gomes, 47, suffered a stroke in 2011 while on the bench for Vasco in a game against Flamengo, and, despite being affected by slower speech and lower mobility to the right side of the body, is excited and motivated for his new challenge.
“I want to thank the president and friends. I’m still having some difficulties, my voice is not 100%, but I can work for the good of Vasco. I did not expect Marcelo de Oliveira to quit.
“When Roberto called me, I was thrilled. I can only thank you, for caring after my accident. And life for me is work. People who do not know me, prayed, prayed, and I can only thank the good work of Vasco.”
And Gomes was also keen to praise Gaúcho, who he will now work directly with as coach.
“I’d like to thank Gaúcho for everything he has done. He was a rival in the field and a friend here at Vasco. Let’s work together for the good of the team,” he added.
