The Mexico national team is in the "final stretch" of its search for a men's national team coach, the Federacion Mexicana de Futbol said in a statement Tuesday, though interim manager Ricardo "Tuca" Ferretti won't get the job.
Tigres manager Ferretti said Monday the club asked him to stay on and see out his three-year contract rather than taking over El Tri, and the federation's statement Tuesday confirmed that.
"Unfortunately we've been notified by Club Tigres of the impossibility of considering Ricardo Ferretti as a candidate to manage the Mexico national team on a permanent basis," the statement read.
Ferretti will continue on with Mexico as the interim manager. He is set to lead Mexico in October friendly matches against Costa Rica, which will be played in Tigres home stadium the Estadio Universitario just outside Monterrey, and Chile, which will take place at Queretaro's Estadio Corregidora. Should the coaching search continue through November, when Mexico is expected to play a pair of friendly matches in Europe, Ferretti also would manage in those matches.
Despite the setback with Ferretti, the FMF is confident it soon will have a replacement for Juan Carlos Osorio, the Colombian who coached Mexico from Nov. 2015 until leaving after the 2018 World Cup.
FMF President said last week that between managers based in Mexico and those working abroad, the federation has spoken to 24 candidates.
"We're in the final stages of the process, which has included conversations with great candidates and we're sure that we'll be able to conclude this process in the near future," Tuesday's statement read.
Reports emerged Tuesday that current Atlanta United manager Gerardo "Tata" Martino is a strong candidate for the job, though the manager has said recently he's focused on winning trophies with the second-year club. Former Chivas coach Matias Almeyda, ex-Mexico and current America manager Miguel Herrera and Jorge Sampaoli, most recently with Argentina, also have been linked with the position.
